


Archangel.

by Gina Callen (CALLEN37)



Category: Airwolf, NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-02-24 11:30:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2579921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/Gina%20Callen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Callen goes missing, a group of unlikely people come out of nowhere to offer their help, and reveal a secret that will change Callen's life in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I'm not too sure about this but It was mentioned that it would be good to see Airwolf in a crossover with NCIS:LA and then someone mentioned that I could write it, even though...truth be told I have never seen the series, So I am going on information on Wikipedia and IMDB and the amazing Blackbear53 who's love of Airwolf may actually see this turn out alright.
> 
> This is as is the others a work in progress.

Hetty looked around at her agents frustrated.

Sam was all but growling, Kensi and Deeks looked tired.

It had been a month since Callen had gone against orders and gone undercover looking for Sam who had been taken by a Mexican drug cartel. Sam had made it out, rescued by Granger, Kensi and Deeks.

Callen had been seen by them all but the leader had pegged Callen for a fed and had dragged him forcibly into his jeep, knocked him cold and driven off leaving the rest of the team stunned and helpless to rescue him.

A few hours ago the team had seen satellite footage of the cartel leader entering a cantina in a small Mexican town the first sighting of him they'd had in a month.

Sam, Kensi and Deeks had gone down there and missed him by hours, although there was talk of Senior Rodriguez dragging around a starved and injured American federales in chains.

Granger turned to them annoyed, "Agent Callen made his bed, there is nothing more we can do, we have been ordered to stay out of Mexico by SECNAV, unless he comes to the US. As of now Agent Callen is to be declared missing."

"No!" Sam yelled, having a flashback about the last agent they had to declare missing, "We know where he is…we have to get him out!"

Hetty shook her head, "I am sorry but _**my**_ hands are tied." She said.

Kensi shot Deeks a look of anguish.

"There's gotta be something we can do, we can't leave him!" she pleaded looking at Hetty.

Hetty sighed, "I don't…"She stopped as her desk phone rang and moved to answer it, the others standing around feeling helpless.

"Hetty Lange." She said as she picked up the phone, "Excuse me…what?!"

The main door knocked and the voice on the other end repeated, "I said let me in Henrietta."

Hetty smiled and let out a small laugh as she put the phone down, "Mr. Hanna would you mind letting our guest in and showing him to my office." She said.

Sam walked to the main door and opened it to find a man dressed in white with an eye patch over his right eye. "Agent Hanna, I am so pleased to finally meet you." He said holding out his hand.

Sam looked at him and shook his hand, "And you are…?" he asked guardedly.

"You may call me Archangel." The man said and leaning on his white cane walked with a limp towards Hetty ignoring Granger who had stepped up.

"Excuse me who do you think you are?" Granger asked.

"Assistant Director Owen Granger, you always were a brown nose, go and play in your sand box while the grownups talk." Archangel said and walked past him as Sam smiled.

* * *

"Micheal…It is good to see you still alive." Hetty said with a smile as she walked around the desk.

"Likewise," Archangel said shaking her hand. "You know why I am here." He said sinking into the chair near her desk.

Hetty looked blank, "How did you know Michael?" she asked.

Archangel smiled, "How do I always know." He said, "You think I would let him get cut off by your government and not do anything?"

"Your government?" Granger asked walking over to them, "This is a secure facility, and you don't work for our government?"

Archangel laughed, "Trust me I have clearance, and no…I work above the government."

Granger stared at him, "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Archangel, that is all you need to know and we are wasting time," He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, "Do you have a plan or do I call his brother?"

"Who's brother?" Granger asked confused.

"Why Mr. Callen's brother," Hetty smiled, "How is Stringfellow nowadays?" she asked.

"He is still coming to terms with the loss of Dominic Santini, but his new partner Jo is fitting in well."

"Callen has a brother?" Sam said listening in from the doorway.

Archangel smiled, "Two, half brothers, St. John and Stringfellow, they share the same mother…"

"Does G know?" Sam asked angry that they all seemed to know something that Callen did not.

"No…Mr. Hanna and until such time as it is safe for him to know about his brothers I would appreciate your silence." Hetty ordered.

"So do we send the wolf in to get him out?" Archangel asked.

* * *

Stringfellow Hawke sat at the end of the pier by the lake next to his house and played a haunting melody on his cello. His new blue hound puppy Nic sat faithfully as his feet and listened in. He thought back to the times when his old dog Tet had sat and done the same thing.

Sue Santini walked down the dock carrying a coffee and sat a few yards back to listen to him play, she knew something was eating him but had no idea what, She wondered if his brother Sinjin was in trouble, but String hadn't said a word all morning.

String himself stopped playing, it was not helping, and his gut was churning too much, Sue's sister Jo had left for work earlier that morning and had promised to call when she heard from Archangel who had cancelled a meeting with them saying he had urgent business in Los Angeles. He knew that had to be what was bothering him, but he didn't know why.

He picked his cello up and walked back towards the house, Nic following dutifully behind. He stopped as he reached Sue, "Company's coming." He said and kissed her on the cheek.

Knowing better than to argue she headed back to the house to make coffee.

* * *

Kensi, Deeks, Sam, Nell and Hetty looked out over the view as they flew over the mountains and the lake seeing the huge mansion sized house on the edge of the lake.

"Wow, that's a house!" Deeks exclaimed.

The others smiled, "Stringfellow has lived in his cabin here for years, he lives here with his girlfriend Sue Santini, Sister of his partner Jo, and she's at work right now."

The Helicopter landed and they all got out.

"Where is he?" Sam asked, "Surely he heard us land."

Archangel smiled, "He knew we were coming before we did, he'll be inside."

They walked into the house and String was sitting at his kitchen bar drinking coffee, "Archangel…coffee's ready." He called not looking.

"Stringfellow, I have guests with me," Archangel said.

String smiled, "I know, Hetty…I have your tea brewing." He said as he stood to greet them.

Hetty held out her arms to Clara's middle son, "Stringfellow, it has been a long time," she said as she pulled him in for a hug.

"You brought people?" String said looking at the others who were staring at the priceless works of art in his house. String glared at them and turned to face up to Archangel. "You brought them here?" he snapped.

"String…" Archangel started.

"Mr. Hawke, Nell Jones." Nell interjected holding out her hand, "I'm the technical analyst, I'm here to provide tech support to you."

"Tech support why, and why are you here Hetty?" String turned to the small woman who was one of the few welcome in his cabin. She looked sadly at him as he pieced the reason for her visit up in his mind, "G's missing?" String said "It was G…not Sinjin?"

Hetty nodded, "I am afraid so,"

* * *

Sam, Kensi and Deeks stopped at an oil painting of two people over the mantel piece, the man they didn't know but the woman was familiar, "That's her…G's mom!"

String walked up behind them, "Yeah, we thought she died when I twelve in 1962, but it turned out that she had survived and was working for the firm and had gone deep cover. She didn't surface again until 1974 when she was found shot on the beach, we found her, but our brother and sister were missing, we found Amy after she died but didn't find out about G until he joined the firm." He took a sip of his coffee and sank into a plush armchair. Sue walked over and sat on the arm next to him and he held her lovingly taking comfort in her presence.

"Why haven't you told him, if you know of his existence, why not look him up, and tell him he has family?" Nell asked.

"It's not that simple." String sighed, "How do we explain that both I and my brother are here and we never looked for him,"

"Why didn't you?" Kensi asked.

"Because we didn't know he existed, until I found Sinjin I thought I was the only one left."

"So you're a Callen too?" Deeks asked.

String shook his head, "St. John and I had a different father, Alan Hawke…He died in the same boating accident that we thought killed our mother, and Callen was Mom's maiden name."

"So why haven't you contacted him since?" Kensi asked.

String shrugged and got up, he did not like people at the best of times and this was starting to feel just a little too much like an interrogation. "You'll stay here tonight and I'll go in, in the morning and bring G here."

"You don't have a plan or back up, how you gonna get G out safely?" Sam asked.

String smirked with the same smiled that Callen had, "I have some help." He said cryptically.

"I'll take their bags upstairs String," Sue said as she kissed his cheek, "You get the grill on for your fish."

"Fish?" Deeks asked.

String smiled, "You stay in my home you eat fish,"

He got up and walked to the kitchen, "Sinjin and Caitlin are coming." He said and poured two more coffee cups.

Kensi, Deeks and Sam looked out of the window and saw nothing… for a moment then a helicopter appeared on the horizon.

"How does he do that?" Deeks asked.

Hetty shrugged and sipped her tea.

* * *

The second Helicopter landed and two people walked up to the house, "String? Do we have company?" Sinjin asked as he walked in with his wife, Caitlin."

"St. John." Hetty said as he entered.

"Whoo! Aunt Hetty!" He grinned and picked her up spinning her around to the amazement of all in the room, with the notable exception of Stringfellow and Archangel.

"Aunt…Hetty?" The three federal agents and one technical analyst said in unison.

"St. John you put me down right now!" Hetty admonished.

He grinned and looked around at the people crowding his brother's main room. His face suddenly darkened over, "String?" he called worriedly.

"It's G…he's missing." Stringfellow told his older brother.

"We going in the wolf?" he asked.

String nodded, "In the morning, I'm assuming that we need more Intel and that Archangel is already getting us the information we need."

"Indeed I am." Archangel said.

"Tonight then little brother we plan and eat, and then we save G." Sinjin said. He turned to the others in the room, "I take it you all work with G, I'm St. John Hawke, oldest brother, and this is my wife Caitlin Hawke-O'Shaunessy, ex-cop and one hell of a pilot."

String walked back into the kitchen as Nic lay down at Sinjin's feet and yawned. The others sat around looking expectantly at Hetty, "We need to get in there first," Sam said, "Lay the groundwork, I mean I am sure you guys know what you are doing but you aren't federal agents you could get hurt."

St. John straightened up in his chair, "I'm an ex-CIA agent and we work freelance for the Firm which is a covert branch of the CIA," He stopped as Archangel nodded allowing him to continue. "G is our brother, and we will do everything we can to get him back."

"Sam…" Nell interrupted. "Archangel had allowed me access to some of the firm's data on the area where we think Callen is, I'm getting something now." She told him.

String and Sinjin came in at this, String picked up a remote control and pointed it at the oil painting of Alan and Clara, which moved up to reveal a huge plasma screen.

"Put it on the screen." String ordered.

* * *

They watched as a door to a dusty adobe building opened, Rodriguez walked out pulling Callen along behind him, he was bruised and bleeding, his left eye was swollen shut and he stumbled as he was yanked by his chain.

The men nearby laughed as he fell and the people in the mansion looked shocked at how much weight he had lost, his skin looked torn and his lips cracked.

He fell to the floor and coughed a few times, blood flecked the corner of his mouth as he stood up.

Nell cut the feed and looked at them all shocked.

"He'll need medical attention when we get him back." She said ignoring the impulse she had to curl into a ball and cry at the sight of him.

String looked at his brother and nodded, "We'll take the wolf out tonight."

"You just saw your brother in that state and you want to walk the dog?!" Sam asked incredulously.

Both String and Sinjin gave identical grins, "The wolf is no dog and G isn't gonna be there any longer than he has to be." String promised.


	2. Chapter 2

Callen's head jerked up as he heard the door open and footsteps come down the wooden stairs into the basement where he was being held.

He could only just focus through one eye, it was only marginally less swollen that the other one, the pain was intense but not as bad as it had been, for a while he had thought he was going to remain blind. However, a few days ago, he had started getting his sight back, fuzzy as it was; it was there. He had nearly cried with relief; however, he was not giving an inch. He knew it was a matter of time before Sam came to rescue him, he told himself again.

He looked over in the corner and saw a cocky version of himself leaning against the wall, 'Who are you kidding?' His alter ego snappily remarked. 'You've been gone for months, they don't want to find you...look...' the scene before him changed, the wall dissipated and the bullpen lit up in front of him like a scene on a stage in a theatre.

Kensi and Deeks were working in the bullpen as Sam strolled in.

"Working hard?" he asked.

Kensi and Deeks laughed, "Yes boss," Deeks replied, "You know since Callen left and you've been put in charge things are running much more smoothly around here."

Sam laughed, "Yeah, no more whining G man...I have no family, I don't know my name, no one loves me..." Sam said mockingly.

"Well he got that one right, I mean, how could we trust him, every chance he got he'd go lone wolf on us and get into trouble, well we don't need him, I mean he's so needy, how can anyone like that be a federal agent?" Kensi sniped.

"We don't need him, he's worthless, doesn't even merit paperwork," Sam laughed, "It's not like anyone will care if he's dead."

The scene faded and Callen let out a sob he could not hold in any longer.

He winced as he felt a hand in his hair pulling his head back, "Well...Mr. Federal Agent...crying like a baby, why are you still here, still hanging on, and no one is looking for you gringo." Rodriguez laughed, "I am thinking of hiring you out to one of my brothels, make you earn your keep, when you stop being so ugly, or maybe I will shoot you, leave your body out in the desert, will anyone miss you I wonder?"

Callen slumped in defeat, he had done what he needed to he knew that his team were safe, but damn if the fact that they had not found him yet did not hurt a lot. He wondered briefly if this was how Dom had felt while he was waiting for the team to find him.

"I tried ransoming you to your government; you know that they would not pay for your safe return?" Rodriguez laughed again. "So I did some digging...Found some interesting stuff on you...G...Callen. There are some very high up people keeping tabs on you."

Callen looked up in surprise, not once had he used his own name.

"Oh yes I know who you are, I know what you are worth...but do you I wonder?" Rodriguez asked.

"Not going to trade, I won't tell government secrets." Callen managed to get out.

"Government secrets...this is worth so much more, it is no wonder you tried to hide it, I mean you...a federal agent having access to that..."

"What?" Callen asked confused.

"Your family being who they are, they must have traded a lot to allow you to keep your job after your brother stole her."

"I don't have a brother, your information is wrong." Callen snapped.

Rodriguez looked surprised, "My information is never wrong, and even if your government will not pay for you, and we can't get what we want your family will pay handsomely to see their youngest safe."

Callen laughed, "Now I know you're crazy, I don't have any family."

His reply was cut off by a punch in the gut by Rodriguez, "We will see who is right and who is wrong, I am sure your family can spare 3 million dollars for you, all we have to do is ask nicely."

He opened a laptop and plugged it into a large video camera, he switched a bright light behind him on and Callen flinched as he was illuminated from all sides, his bare torso on show to everyone.

"As you can see Mr. Hawke your brother is unharmed...well ok so not unharmed, but not dead either, I want Airwolf and three million dollars in untraceable cash, in 24 hours, or he will join your mother and sister...in hell."

Callen blinked into the light, Rodriguez must be losing it to go so far as to create a video, he had no idea who this Hawke was but he hoped he was not missing anyone. He looked away from the light hoping that this man would be able to see he wasn't who Rodriguez thought he was and that whomever this man was missing would be able to see that and know his brother was safe.

* * *

String jogged down the stairs a bag of medical supplies in his hand, Sue stood up and walked over to him, "You be careful ok?" she pleaded the worry in her voice evident.

He turned and kissed her, "I'll be fine, watch my stuff." He said shooting a look at the others in the room.

He stopped surprise on his face as he noticed that Kensi, Deeks and Sam were all checking their weapons, "Where do you think you guys are going?"

"With you. You think you, your brother and a wolf will be enough to get G out of there safely?" Sam asked.

"No." String turned to his brother who had just jogged down the stairs, "Sinjin, tell them…no…"

Saint John looked at his brother and the others, "We can fit them in String, it means more help to get G out, and they know him." He argued back. He had been thinking about it, and he was thinking that taking them would be a good idea, if they worked with Hetty and G they could be trusted to keep a secret.

"There won't be enough room when we get G." String argued, knowing that there was no way he would go against what his brother decided.

Saint John did some mental calculations and realized that String was right; "We can take two of you, Aunt Hetty?" he called and nodded to an alcove.

She followed him and listened to his proposal.

A few minutes later the pair of them walked back into the main room, where String was glaring at the team from Los Angeles and they were equally glaring back at him.

"Ms Blye…Mr. Hanna, you will be going with Saint John and Stringfellow. Before you leave, you will need to sign this confidentiality form. What you see and where you see it will be is confidential and no one, apart from the people in this room are allowed to know where it is. Do you understand?" She asked them.

"Will signing this means that we can go and save G and stop messing around?" Sam asked.

Hetty, Sue, Sinjin and String all nodded in unison.

Sam looked at Kensi, "Sign it." He growled and grabbed his sheet from Hetty and signed it.

"Very well Mr. Hanna, you and Ms Blye, get your gear and you will head out with the boys, bring our boy back Mr. Hanna."

Sam nodded solemnly, Hetty may have vouched for the Hawke brothers and she said that they were G's family, but until he knew that G was safe, he was not going to rest.

* * *

Callen groaned as he was hit by another wave of pain, "Your family didn't contact me, and my people know they got the message, they really didn't want you did they. I even contacted a little man where you worked, Eric? He was too busy to talk and your boss and team have gone away for the weekend…I almost feel sorry for you." He picked up a vinegar dipped wet sponge and lay it against the open cuts on Callen's torso he flinched and then screamed as Rodriguez hit the button that shot 2000 volts of current through his body, "I said almost." He grinned apologetically as Callen hung breathing shallow, "If I don't get my money, then I will kill you." He told him and walked towards the door, "Well, it is time for dinner, do you care to join me... No?" He laughed as he closed the door and left.

Callen's body still shook with the aftershocks of the electric current that had run through him. The words that he'd heard ran through him as his stomach growled on smelling the food from upstairs, he had lost count on how long he had been there, it was in reality 6 weeks but in his mind he had been there for months, days had run into weeks, his mind losing all track of time.

The door opened again and a man brought a hunk of cornbread and a tin cup full of water, "Food." He snarled dropping Callen to the floor with a thud as he undid the shackles that were holding him. He threw the plate towards him, the bread falling onto the mud floor in front of him and the water spilling from the mug.

Ignoring him Callen scrambled towards the food like a starving man, he drank as much of the water as was left in the cup and ate the bread not even bothering to wipe the dirt off.

"You federales are pigs." The man laughed and walked off…leaving Callen retching in the corner.

He curled up in a ball, trying to keep warm in the cool basement.

The Jeep drove through the canyon, Sam and Kensi both wearing blindfolds and holding tight to the roll bar.

Finally, the jeep stopped and they heard Sinjin and String get out of the Jeep.

"You gonna take this off us now?" Sam growled. He blinked as it was removed from his head; Kensi was blinking adjusting to the gloom of the cavern, which was brighter than it had been behind the blindfold.

"You ok?" she asked Sam.

Sam nodded, blindfolded was not his favorite way to be.

"Where are we?" He asked.

String let out a derisive laugh, "If we were gonna tell you that we wouldn't have blindfolded you." He threw two jumpsuits at Kensi and Sam, "Try these on, Hanna you look about the same build as Dom was so this should fit you, Kensi, this is Sue's you're about the same size."

"Thank you…a flight suit?" Kensi asked.

String nodded, "Yeah, for the wolf."

"Plane?" Sam asked doing up the fasteners on the suit.

Saint John walked past them and laughed, "Hardly…follow me."

Sam and Kensi followed him down a cavern where the sound of a helicopter engine starting up assailed their ears.

They both stopped dead looking at the sleek, state of the art helicopter in front of them.

"What the HELL is that?!" Sam shouted over the sound.

Saint John smiled, "This is Airwolf. This is how we are going to get G. back."


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting inside the state of the art computer driven helicopter was a stunned Sam. This was obviously military hardware and there was no way the government would let this out of their hands.

String sat in the pilots seat and Sin Jin took the back, Sam and Kensi sat in spare seats with helmets on so that they could hear the others over the screech of the engines.

"This is amazing." Kensi said.

Beneath his visor Hawke smiled. "It is." he replied.

SinJin cut in, "I have coordinates for G, it should take us about 20 minutes to get there if we boost. we can coast it back if he's alright."

String nodded, "Hold on." he smirked and pressed the red button on the control yoke.

Both Sam and Kensi let out a surprised breath as the helicopter shot forward with the thrust from the jet engines.

They put down in a clearing a few miles from their target and Kensi and Sam took off their coveralls and readied themselves for the rescue of their friend.

"Sam, can you find us transport? We need to be able to get in and out quick." SinJin said as he took a large bag from the hold of the helicopter.

Sam nodded and headed off in the direction of a small farmhouse about a mile down the road.

"What do you have here?" Kensi asked, she smiled as SinJin took out a sniper rifle and a bunch of small arms and grenades.

"Sweet…" she smiled, "Who are you people?" She asked in awe at the array of weaponry they had at their disposal.

"G's brothers." SinJin replied and turned handing String a gun.

String finished securing the wolf as Kensi cleaned the rifle.

"Sam's coming." String said without looking up.

Kensi looked up and saw nothing. "You sure?" she asked.

String nodded and turned back to what he was doing.

Within moments a rattle of an engine was heard and a rusted old pick-up truck came around the bend and into view.

SinJin got out a map and as Sam parked up he lay it across the hood of the truck.

"This is the area we know that Rodriguez is keeping G in, we don't know which building and there are six buildings in this complex." SinJin started, "There is a ridge over to the south, there is enough cover for me to be able to cover you,"

"I'm a sniper, I could do that." Kensi offered.

SinJin nodded, "But could you fly the wolf?" He asked, "If something goes wrong I will need to be able to fly her as back up, besides it will help if G is rescued by you, Sam and String. He knows you two. "

Kensi nodded, she had to admit she did want to be in the thick of things when they got Callen out.

* * *

Callen groaned as he again regained consciousness, he had no idea how long he had been out, hours, days, weeks, it meant nothing to him now.

He pulled the small piece of now stale cornbread he had hidden in the waistband of his pants and he ate it carefully, his stomach rebelling at the thought of food even though he was starving.

He looked for water but he couldn't see any, he tried licking his lips and his mouth was dry. He coughed as a piece of the bread got stuck, wincing as his battered body rebelled against the movement.

He heard a movement on the floor above him, and scrambled back from the noise as much as he could.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and Senior Rodriguez walked down the stairs carrying a cattle prod.

"Agent Callen, Good morning, it is an anniversary for you, I thought we would celebrate." He smiled as Callen looked up at him confused.

"You have been here for nine months." He lied, his men had been blocking the light out every few hours to give the illusion of nightfall and make Callen lose all track of time.

"Nine months?" Callen croaked in disbelief.

"Your old team did not send the ransom money, they were not bothered with you. You should be grateful that I am a...merciful man, it is by my mercy that you live G. Callen….what does a grateful man say?" He asked.

Callen looked at him, Rodriguez stepped closer and knelt down grabbing Callen by a fistfull of hair. He pulled his head back, "What does a grateful man say?" He asked again.

He pressed the cattle prod against Callen's side and smiled as he screamed.

"Do not try my patience again." He said, "Your life depends now solely on your gratitude to me."

Callen looked down his breath hitching and tears spilling from his eyes, his tongue darted out to catch the precious moisture and Rodriguez pushed his mouth shut snapping his teeth on his tongue.

Callen pulled back as his mouth filled with blood.

He swallowed what he could knowing he was dehydrated, but spat some out.

"You have a choice Callen, you want food and drink, I have some here." he turned and took the lid off a tray of food Callen didn't even remember seeing bought into the room.

It was a bowl of hot broth and clear fresh water, his stomach screamed at him.

"Food is for the grateful, not for useless people. which are you?" he asked.

"Thank you...for your gratitude." Callen slumped against the wall in defeat.

Rodriguez lifted the spoon from the bowl of broth and gave him a sip of the warm liquid inside.

Callen sipped it gratefully.

"There, there...it is alright Callen, your family didn't want you, your friends didn't want you, I want you, you can work for me, do you want to work for me?" He asked, this was a tried and tested method to get absolute one hundred per cent loyalty in his men.

"Yes…" Callen sighed as Rodriguez put a comforting hand through the man's hair.

"Maria will come down and help you with something to eat, you need to rest." He said as if he were talking to a child.

Callen was so tired he didn't care, slowly his mind became foggy, all he knew was he had been somewhere bad, his team had deserted him and this man was helping him.

Senior Rodriguez smiled as he climbed back up the stairs as he left Maria feeding him the drugged broth.

"So are we killing him?" His second asked.

Rodriguez shook his head, "He had access to something far more valuable, if he can be turned he can be useful."

Antonio looked at his brother inquisitively, "He's a fed, he'll never turn. we haven't had him long enough."

"Ah little brother, you don't understand, he may have been here for six weeks our time, but he thinks he's been here for nine months and no one is going to change his mind, I have had our men feed him increasingly large amounts of Rohypnol over the past few weeks, he is so suggestive now that he would fly if we told him to."

Callen watched as Rodriguez turned into a woman, he suppressed a laugh at the thought.

"Shh now." Maria said spooning him more broth, "Senior Rodriguez is kind enough to care about you when others don't."

"I am grateful…" Callen slurred as he took another spoonful.

Rodriguez turned to his brother, "It won't be long now, we will have him working for me and then we will release him with instructions, he will bring us the biggest prize ever, just think about it Antonio, a helicopter that is a weapon so powerful, one that is so armed it cannot be beaten by another. we will be unbeatable brother."

Maria bought a mattress down and a thin blanket, "Here, sleep on this, I will bring you more food later." she smiled, "Drink this." she left a pitcher of water for him and helped him drink a glassful. His head became fuzzy and he lay down for a moment on the mattress, his eyes growing heavy and finally falling shut.

He awoke to noise upstairs, loud bangs and crashing.

The door opened and Maria and Rodriguez came down the stairs.

"What's happening?" Callen asked his senses still dulled.

"People are coming, they want to take you and hurt you." He said,

Callen looked scared, "Why?" he asked.

"They want to hurt you because they don't care about, they hate you, you were too much trouble to deal with but you know about them and their secret, they want to make sure you never tell."

Callen grabbed a gun.

"Let them come." He snarled aiming haphazardly at the door.

 


	4. Chapter 4

String ran towards the compound. He, as a rule, didn't like using guns, although he did understand they were needed. Right now though he was willing to do whatever was necessary to get to his little brother.

Sam and Kensi swept the compound, strangely enough there were only five people that had been reported on the site.

Out of those three were now dead.

"Clear!" Kensi called as she made her way sweeping the house with Sam and String.

"The house is clear." Sam said.

"Where is he?" String asked, he stopped for a moment listening, "Basement." He said heading for the kitchen area.

They looked for a door but couldn't find it, String lowered his gun and walked towards a shelving unit. "Look." He pointed to some scuff marks on the floor.

Sam nodded at him and Kensi and they pulled the unit out revealing a door and some stairs.

Rodriguez grabbed Maria's arm, "They are coming Chica, we need to get out of here."

"Where can we go?" She asked reaching for Callen.

"No…" Callen shrugged her off, "You go...I'll protect you...Go...Maria...please…"

"Callen we can't leave you…" Rodriguez argued trying hard not to smile, this was too easy. His attention was diverted as the bookcase hiding the stairs started to move away.

"Go...Please...Go…" He begged pushing the other man to the broken wall in the corner that he vaguely remembered trying to get out of himself, what seemed to be a lifetime ago.

The bookcase moved and a large figure blocked the light from the doorway.

"NCIS!" Sam's voice came.

"GO!" Callen's raspy voice met his ears and Sam looked for his partner.

"G!" Sam stopped, he looked into the murky darkness and saw Rodriguez behind his partner with a gun. He lifted the gun and ducked as a shot rang out.

"Go…" Callen's voice came again and Sam watched as he manhandled the guy who had been holding him back and away from Sam.

Callen fired one shot that went wide.

Rodriguez pushed Maria out of the small hole in the brickwork and turned and aimed his gun at Callen's head.

"NO!" Sam raised his gun and fired.

Callen flinched as he got covered in the blood and detritus from the remains of Rodriguez, "No...Sir...Damn you!" He cursed firing wildly at Sam.

Sam moved back, as Kensi got to his back String following behind her.

She stopped as another bullet ricocheted off of the doorframe above Sam's head.

"What we got?" She asked as Sam swore.

Sam shook his head, not wanting to say, but he had to. "Target is down, only one shooter in there now, a woman escaped…."

"G?" String asked as he tried to look around the corner to his brother.

"He's the shooter." Sam said flatly as he raised his gun.

String moved to point his own gun at Sam, "You are not going to shoot him." He growled.

Sam turned and ducked as another wildly aimed shot came through the door. "Of course I'm not going to shoot him!" he snapped. "But I don't want him to shoot me either….By my count he has maybe three bullets left. So we wait," He told them.

* * *

Callen smiled grimly as the intruders backed out through the door and he turned to make sure that Maria had got away. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her in the distance through the hole running away. He turned and looked at his benefactor, he fought back the scream of rage that bubbled up in his throat, the sound forcing itself out as a strangled moan.

Dropping to his knees he gently closed the man's eyes and covered him up with the blanket that he had been kind enough to give Callen a few...days? weeks? previous.

The sides of the room were shimmering, noises still sounded distorted. He had no idea who was at the top of the stairs, but like a nightmare it knew him and it had killed Rodriguez, the man had saved him from the hell he'd been in. He had had Maria help nurse him back to health...now he was alone and something was at the top of the stairs trying to kill him.

He pulled himself into a corner, holding the gun close as tremors overtook his body.

"I'm going down." String said moving to the doorway.

"He still has bullets...he may shoot you." Sam warned as the older man moved to the door.

String shot him a look of annoyance, he hated it when people made things harder than they needed too.

He turned his gun around and handed it to Sam, "Take this."

"You're not going down there unarmed!" Sam exclaimed.

String just nodded and turned towards the stairs ducking as a bullet shot wide over his head.

"Callen?" String said quietly as he stepped on the top of the flight of stairs.

"Stay back...I'll shoot you…" Callen said, his voice wavering.

"My names Stringfellow Hawke, I won't hurt you, I'm here to rescue you." He spread his arms wide to show he had no weapons on him.

Callen looked wildly behind the soft spoken man coming down towards him.

"Did you see it...it was just there?!" He whispered his eyes darting around the room.

"Did I see what?" String asked walking closer and crouching down.

"The monster...it was there...it...it...killed…" Callen shook as String gently put his hand on the gun.

"Give me the gun G. I'll keep you safe." String promised him.

Callen shook his head and moved away, "No...can't keep me safe, never been safe."

String put his hand on Callen's shoulder, but he flinched and moved off.

At his touch String could tell that Callen was burning up, maybe an infection on top of the drugs that were obviously coursing through his body.

The gun still in his hand shook violently and String gently took it out of Callen's hand and tucked it into the back of his jeans.

"G, it's time to go now." He said holding out his hand.

Callen had moved and was holding Rodriguez dead hand, "He needs help...can you help him?" he asked.

String looked over at him, "I'm sorry…" he said, "But I can help you."

Callen reluctantly let go of Rodriguez's hand, "Who are you?" he asked as he rubbed a hand down his face to remove some of the sweat that was building up over his eyes.

"My name is Stringfellow Hawke."

Callen moved away shaking his head, "Hawke? I'm sorry….I didn't mean to get you into all this, I'm not who you're looking for...why are you here?" he looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm here to get you home safe." String said.

Callen stood up and lurched to one side as the pain in his body from the earlier torture shot through him.

"Not worth the money, not gonna tell...wrong person…" Callen looked at String and then fell forward as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The last thing Callen thought he heard was an almighty scream.

* * *

"Sam!" String called over the sound of Airwolf landing in the main yard.

"I'm coming down." Sam called, he came gun at the ready, but quickly put it away when he saw his partner out cold in his elder brother's arms.

"G?!" Sam ran the last few steps and dropped to his knees at his partners side. "What happened?"

"He passed out, help me get him upstairs and into the lady, we gotta get him out of here, he needs medical attention." String moved slightly to let Sam help him and they carried up up to the waiting helicopter.

As they passed Kensi she gasped at the sight of Callen, even Sam had to wince at the sight of the mottled bruising and marks on his body.

"Come on!" SinJin called as Kensi opened the door to Airwolf as they two men gently lifted him into the vehicle. "God!" SinJin cussed as he saw the state of his little brother, "String? Is he alive?"

String nodded, "Barely, we need to move and get him home, Call Archangel, we need a medic at the cabin for when we get back."

SinJin nodded and turned to his task.

As soon as the others were settled into the helicopter he headed back radioing ahead to Caitlyn who was, as he knew she would be, on the other end waiting to hear that they were safe. Putting speed to it he went faster leaving the place where his baby brother was hurt far far behind them.

* * *

Maria watched from her hiding place in amongst a grove of trees outside the compound. Her lover was dead and the man who had done it was now flying away, free as a bird.

"You will pay Callen...you will pay." she promised as she cried for her lost love.

 


	5. Chapter 5

A low murmuring reached his ears as his eyes slowly opened.

He wasn't in his basement, he had no idea where he was.

He looked for Maria, but couldn't see her anywhere.

He had clean bandages on and the room itself was bright and airy, wooden beams were the first thing he focused on, it looked like a kind of log cabin. Only it seemed larger than any log cabin he'd ever seen.

Slowly, with pain still filtering through to his nerve endings, he sat up looking for his clothes.

A fresh pair of jeans and a blue shirt sat on a chair.

He slowly tried to pull the jeans on. The murmuring got louder and Callen flinched as he realized the voices had no accents.

His first thought was to panic, he didn't know these voices and where was Maria?

* * *

He looked around for a quick escape even though he had only got his pants on, the shirt still sitting on the chair.

Moving as swiftly as his injuries allowed he opened the window, there was a small terrace outside and a trellis going down one side, it didn't look very safe, but whoever these people were they were not his benefactor or his wife. He owed Rodriguez his life and he had been warned the others wanted to hurt him.

Old insecurities and worries he had had as a child surfaced.

Rodriguez had said that they would hurt him and he couldn't handle any more pain. His head was pounding and his thoughts were still fuzzy but he knew one thing. He wasn't going to be hurt anymore, Maria hadn't hurt him. She had helped him, she was safety to him and he needed to find her.

"G?" Hetty's voice stopped him in his tracks, his leg halfway over the railing on the terrace.

"Hetty?" He asked in shock.

Had these people take her too?

"What? Are you ok? Why are you here? Where is here?" He couldn't help but just ask all the questions that popped into his brain, he didn't know why but he seemed to have lost the filter between his brain and his mouth.

He froze hanging onto the railing unsure which way to go.

He had to know, he couldn't run now, not if she were in danger.

"Mr. Callen, please… Come back over this side of the railing." Hetty asked, her heart in her throat.

What Callen didn't know was there was a large drop that side and if he slipped he would fall and die.

He climbed back in and stopped his back hard to the railing as he watched the two men who entered behind her warily.

Both men stopped worried for the man on the terrace. The older man in the white suit with the eyepatch said keeping his voice steady so as not to panic the younger man.

"Well, you look better Callen," He said, his eye not hiding the worry on his face.

"Who are you?" Callen's grip on the railing hadn't lessened he was fully prepared to throw himself over in an attempt to escape if he could get the others to rescue Hetty, after all they wouldn't come for him.

"My name is Archangel, I am an old friend of Hetty's, come inside please Callen, it is cool outside."

Hetty held her hand out to him and he wanted to take it, he really did, but the small voice inside him screamed not to trust them. However, he did follow her inside still keeping a distance between himself and the woman he had cared for like a mother.

"Ok, but…"

"You need to rest Mr. Callen, the drugs in your system have not fully cleared out of you yet."

"I haven't been taking any drugs." He argued. "I don't do drugs!"

"You had Rohypnol in your system Mr. Callen." Hetty said as she pulled a blanket over him as he laid back on the bed.

"I did?" The disbelief was obvious in his voice, but he sighed, she might be right.

"We don't think you took it deliberately, However Mr. Callen you do need to get this out of your system."

"I need to get out of here, I need to find...I need to leave." Callen argued.

"Mr. Callen. Trust me you will be free to leave as soon as you are fit enough, just stay here on the bed and let the drug work it's way out of you."

Callen sighed, there was no fighting her in this mood. He just hoped Maria would be safe till he found her.

"So where am I?" He asked.

"My house, I'm Stringfellow Hawke." The other man said.

Callen whipped his head to study this man, he didn't seem mad at him or angry. However there was something about him that unsettled him.

"I'm sorry about your brother." Callen said.

String looked at Hetty and Archangel in confusion. It wasn't often he was knocked sideways by something, but this had confused him.

"My...Brother?" He asked.

Callen closed his eyes for a second and swayed as his head spun, "I know I'm not who you wanted, I don't know why, Sir...he was confused. I don't know where he is."

"He's dead Mr. Callen." Hetty said assuming that her senior agent meant Rodriguez himself.

Callen went quiet and closed his eyes, soon his breathing evened out the toll of his exertion taking effect. He had cost this man his brother, at the expense of saving his life.

Archangel looked at Hetty worried, "You know him best Henrietta, do you think he will be alright?"

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the man she had known since he was a teenager. She hadn't liked his reaction it was one she had seen many a time before, when he was holding onto something painful and didn't want to share.

"I don't think he should be left alone for now." She advised.

"I'll stay." String said, he wanted time to study the enigma that was his brother.

"Michael and I will be right down in the main room." Hetty advised.

* * *

As she closed the door, String studied his brother's face. He could see the traits they both shared obviously inherited from their mother, and the differences which had to have come from G's father.

He sat silently for ten minutes just waiting.

Callen stirred, not noticing the figure in the corner. His stomach rumbled and he felt thirsty. He reached for the glass of water beside his bed but stopped as the glass was halfway to his mouth, remembering Hetty's information about him being drugged.

He jumped as String spoke, "It's not drugged, it is fresh spring water. The spring is near to the cabin and I get it pumped up to the pipes."

He took a tentative sip, it was good.

"Who are you?" He asked not remembering that he had asked that earlier.

"My name is String, this is my house. My brother and I rescued you."

Callen was for a moment hurt that his team hadn't saved him, but then he remembered that his team didn't care anymore.

"I am sorry you wasted your time." He said not meeting the other man's eyes.

"Callen, I didn't waste my time." String said. He was appalled how uncertain his little brother was, this wasn't the man whom he had come to know and care about in conversations with his aunt.

"But you didn't go there looking for me, Rodriguez had me confused with someone else. I don't know where your brother is." Callen admitted.

String wanted to tell him, to let him know than he had found his missing brother, but Hetty had asked him to wait until the drugs had cleared his system.

"I found you though and at least you are safe now, rest and heal. Aunt Hetty will be up later to check your dressings."

"Aunt Hetty? You're related to Hetty?"

String smiled, "Isn't everyone."

Callen shrugged. "Why is Hetty here?" he asked.

"You've been missing for six weeks, we've been looking everywhere for you." String told him.

"No...not six weeks, maybe that's how long they've been looking but I know I've been...wherever I was for at least nine months. Sir...Rodriguez, said so."

"And you believe him?"

"He has no reason to lie." Callen replied flatly. He sat up slipping his feet into his sneakers, "I need to go."

"Go where?" String asked.

Callen shrugged. He didn't know except he had an overwhelming urge to find Maria and keep her safe.

"Don't stop me." Callen growled at String.

"Wouldn't dream of it." String smirked and for a second Callen stopped. The older man reminded him of someone but he couldn't think who. "I think your team may want to see you though."

Callen laughed sourly, "Why? So they can gloat about how much better they are doing without me?"

"Is that what you really think?" String looked annoyed, "They pestered me and SinJin to be allowed to help us find you. They invaded my home and that blond guy drove me up the wall because he couldn't go with us."

"Look I'm sorry ok!" Callen winced as he pulled a shirt over his head, "I will go out of your hair and you can go and look for your brother rather than wasting your time with me."

* * *

String sighed as Callen turned and made his way down the hallway to the large balcony where he could see his team sitting in the main room and he stopped dead.

They turned and smiled as they saw him standing there.

"G!" Sam smiled as he looked up.

Callen was looking at them...no...past them, shock etched on his face and he turned to the man behind him his hands gripping the railing as the room seemed to spin.

"Who are you?" He growled anger etched on his face, "And why in the hell do you have a picture of my mother on your wall?"

 


	6. Chapter 6

Callen swayed a little as he turned to this man, he looked at him intently, "Who are you?" He growled.

"My name is Stringfellow Hawke, this is my cabin." He said again, knowing he had told him this before.

"Who are you to me?" He asked, taking a step away from the man and moving as an older man started up the stairs towards him.

String turned as Saint John came up the stairs.

"Sin Jin?" He turned to his older brother.

"G, go back to your room, we'll talk there." Sin Jin said, hoping to calm the younger man down.

Callen's head was reeling, he looked over at the picture of his mother in the family portrait. "Who is she?" he pointed at the painting.

"She's our mother." String said honestly. "We are your brothers."

Callen stepped back as if slapped. His mother had had another family? He'd been left in the wilderness of the foster system and she'd been living another life with another family?

Then, for him, it all tumbled into place.

She had left him because he wasn't as good as this other family, maybe all he remembered was wrong, she wasn't dead, she'd just left him and gone back to play happy family's with her two perfect sons, leaving the defective one to fend for himself.

Callen blinked a few times, for once pleased his training would help him hide his true feelings.

He felt like his soul had been ripped from his body. He had always held onto the notion that he'd had a family somewhere who one day would find him, tell him his name and tell them they had been searching for him his whole life. They would tell him he was loved and lamented all the lost years without him.

That wasn't true. His family were, by the look of the size of this cabin wealthy, they obviously had the money to look for him and they hadn't. ... And Hetty! She was their aunt? Was she his aunt? She knew about them and had not told him.

He felt totally betrayed, bereft and alone. Rodriguez and Maria had been right, they didn't want him.

"Nice to meet you." He said his face a blank. "I need to rest." he turned and walked back to the room he'd exited from and shut the door on them.

* * *

"Well, that went well." Sin Jin quipped as both boys looked at the closed door.

String raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

Hetty walked up to the boys having told the others to wait downstairs, even though Sam argued to be able to go up and see him.

Both String and Sin Jin had not moved from outside the door, torn between wanting to talk to their brother and their understanding of his desire for privacy.

Hetty smiled at seeing both her nephews torn as to what to do, usually both of them in their own way were decisive and ready for action.

"Well, let's see if Mr. Callen is still with us." Hetty said, not wanting to worry them, but she had been concerned about his earlier escape attempt.

* * *

Callen had shut the door and sunk down behind it. The room was spinning and he felt strange. His fight or flight response had had a different effect this time, he was afraid and frozen in fear. He wanted to leave, to run and leave these betrayers behind. But at the same time he wanted answers; however, nothing could make him open the door and confront the two men who said they were his brothers.

He'd never felt this indecisive before, it wasn't him. He got up and started pacing, not realizing his movements were getting more and more frantic until he tripped and fell. He sat not moving, not making a sound as the tears he couldn't hold back fell silently down his face.

He realized with a shock, he was crying, he hadn't cried since he was a child. Old habits were still in play as he found himself moving to a corner and, curling up, not making a sound, lest he was heard and hurt.

He tried to get a handle on his emotions and at that point realized there was nothing he could do but let it out. He'd been there only once before in his adult life, after Romania, after Hetty had shown him a picture of his mother and told him her name. He knew there was nothing he could do, but let the emotion run its course and wait it out.

He heard the door knock, but couldn't bring himself to answer it.

"Mr. Callen?" Hetty called through the door, "I would like to speak with you if you have a moment."

Callen swore to himself, she was the last person he wanted to see right now.

He hastily wiped his eyes and pushed his emotions down.

"I'm tired Hetty." He called, "I'm still here." he added, knowing that she would think he had run away again. Maybe he would have done if he actually had a clue where he was. The only thing he didn't want to do was to step foot outside the door.

"I'm coming in Mr. Callen." The tone of Hetty's voice let him know there was no room for argument.

Callen swiped at his eyes and looked away from the door as it opened. He could hear more than one person outside the door and he hoped that it would be only her that entered, he relaxed a little as he heard her instructions.

"Wait there, I'll talk to him." She said softly to whomever was outside as she closed the door.

* * *

He kept his head down and her heart broke as she saw him. It wasn't the first time she had seen him this dejected. But before, he had been a teenager and she hadn't in some way been the cause of his pain.

"Mr. Callen?"

He turned his head away and she moved closer, placing her hand softly on his shaking shoulder.

"We did not mean for you to find out this way." Hetty said honestly.

"You knew…" Callen's voice was raspy and tired. "All this time you knew, you are related, they said so. Did they know or did you just spring it on them?"

Hetty sighed, feeling every one of the years she had lived, "They knew about you. They have known since you were in the CIA."

"You hid me from them?" He asked, "Why?"

Hetty sighed, "I did what was necessary at the time."

Callen moved from her touch, "So... Why didn't they find me when they knew about me? Why didn't you tell me about them?"

Hetty moved to sit in the chair opposite.

"Sometimes things are complicated. Saint John was missing in action in Vietnam, for a long time Stringfellow was alone. He was hurting, they thought your mother died in 1962, to find out she had been alive right up until 1974 and that she had died in Romania and not on the lake in front of the house. He would have been hurt too much."

Callen swiped his eyes, stood up and started to pace. "So we can't hurt your nephews can we, but it's ok to leave me out in the cold. Out with… I had family Hetty. You knew them, you are related to them… what about me? Are you related to me?" He asked.

Hetty folded her hands together, "I am." She said simply. "I am a cousin of your mother's through her mother's side of the family."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why keep the secret?"

"Because the truth would hurt you." She said softly.

Callen scoffed, "I have already figured out the truth. Clara had a whole other family, they had everything money could buy. She gets cold feet runs away and whoever raised Stringfellow obviously didn't want a Romani bastard tainting their wonderful family. So you all left me, I'm not good enough to be part of the family. I get it, don't you see Hetty, I have never been good enough to be a part of anyone's family."

"No!" Hetty's voice rose in frustration, "It's not that at all…"

"No, I bet it wasn't. I've had enough of being lied to, first you, then Sam." Callen shook his head, it still wasn't totally Sam, first Sam tells him he's not missed or needed at NCIS or on the team, then he is in…. Something, and Sam is telling him to hold on, that he is needed. He shook his head. "I don't... I…" He got angry, "I want out of here. I don't need this Hetty, you say you're my aunt, that you care about me, but you left me in the system, you lied to me, I wasn't even good enough for you to foster. You lied the worst, you told me you knew nothing about my family, you took me in but never fostered me officially, You told me you didn't know my mother's name, you had known her all your life. Why weren't you there for us?"

"Because I couldn't be!" Hetty's voice had risen and Callen heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs.

"WHY?!" He shouted.

"Because I'm a Comescu!" Hetty snapped back at him as he stumbled away from her shaking his head.

"No... Not you..." He looked scared as the door banged.

"Callen, Hetty?" A man's voice came through the door and for a moment Callen couldn't place it, was it a Comescu? Was this all an elaborate plot to kill him?

The door banged again and Callen looked desperately around, he needed to get out of there, not even thinking he headed to the balcony and jumped, not hearing the terrified scream from Hetty behind him as he fell.


	7. Chapter 7

As Callen sailed over the railing he was grabbed, and pulled back, by three sets of hands.

Fighting all the way he struggled as they got him back onto the balcony.

"Let me go?" He struggled again as the hands held him down.

"Shh… G, it's ok, it's Sam, you're safe."

"NO…. no... let me go!" his voice was scared and pleading, "I have to get away."

"G, you're safe, you're with family."

"No...no family, not safe, need to go... find Maria, Maria's safe, she needs me…" He struggled again as a white blur leaned into his field of vision and he felt a sharp prick in the neck.

"No…. Mariaaaaaaa." he called still thrashing as the sedative took effect and Callen collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"Who's Maria?" SinJin asked as he got up, pulling the comforter down on the bed as Sam and String lifted him onto it and Sinjin pulled the cover over his little brother. Sinjin looked over at Archangel who was placing a cap over the syringe he had pulled out of a black pouch in his pocket, "And what did you just give G?"

Archangel shook his head, "I have no idea who Maria is, was there any sign of anyone else being held when you rescued your brother?" He asked.

String went to shake his head, then he stopped, "There was a woman, young, dark hair, she escaped through a hole as we came in the main door."

"Maybe G was protecting her?" Sam suggested. "He doesn't know she's safe, so he wanted to find her. We'll have to wait till he wakes up." Sam turned to the man in white, "What did you shoot into my partner."

"Just a sedative. He'll sleep for longer, I'll have Caitlyn set up an IV to get fluids into Mr. Callen. I had hoped he would have slept off all the drugs, but I think the information he gathered today, plus the residual effects of those drugs meant that his fight or flight response kicked in."

String turned to Hetty, "What were you both talking about?" He asked, then stopped as he saw the devastation on her face. Walking quickly over to her he dropped to his knees, "Hetty? Hetty, G's safe, he's ok...tell us what happened."

Hetty buried her head in her hands, "He knows, I tried, so hard never to tell him, but he knows." she sobbed.

She had done many things in her life that she regretted, letting his mother, sister and Callen down had weighed the heaviest on her heart. She had known that Clara was doomed from the moment she was born, but she had been instrumental in smuggling Clara's mother out of Romania when she was born knowing that her sister was truly in love with George Callen. She was a teenager back then and hadn't cared about a stupid blood feud or what the consequences of her actions would be. She had gone with the newlyweds to America and changed her name, thinking that this would keep her safe from her family. Now, in the distress in the one person she hadn't meant to hurt, out of all of her nephews she had been the one who had needed him the most, and she had failed him.

Callen thrashed on the bed, "No... Maria, need... Wolf…, Hetty... Comescu…, run!" he mumbled. String looked over at him concerned, "I'm gonna need the med kit, that infection is taking hold again."

Sinjin nodded and headed downstairs.

* * *

Sam looked at Hetty concerned for the older woman. "Hetty, come on, let's get you a cup of tea." he offered.

Hetty shook her head, "I can't leave him, he needs to know…" She shook her head again, "I let him down."

Sam smiled a full on smile, "You know G loves you, like a mother, he'll never stay mad at you."

"You don't understand Mr. Hanna, I kept a secret from him."

Sam nodded, "I understand, but he will be ok after all he has a family now, The Hawke's and you."

Hetty shook her head, "You don't understand. Sam. We are related to the Comescu's. Callen is related to the Comescu's and he didn't know."

The smile dropped off Sam's face.

"No… Hetty…. Not Comescu... No…" Callen mumbled as SinJin lay a cool cloth on his brother's head.

SinJin looked up, "I don't know who or what this Comescu thing is, but I think G can still, on some level hear us, so maybe this isn't a conversation to be had around him right now."

Hetty nodded, "You are right, but I will not be having this conversation without him or you boys. I have protected you all to the best of my ability, but soon it will be time for all truths to be revealed."

"Henrietta, come downstairs, Miss Jones and Ms Santini have made a light lunch and some nice tea. You need to relax, SinJin and Sam can stay with Callen now." Archangel said.

Hetty took String's arm and allowed herself to be led downstairs.

"Henrietta doesn't talk about this part of her past, it's too painful for her, so when she does, please, let her talk ok Sinjin." Archangel said worried for his friend.

SinJin gave a curt nod, "You know we love Aunt Hetty, but G is my brother, I'll be there for him too."

"You'd better be." Sam growled under his breath, laying a hand on his partner's shoulder to help him relax.

Archangel took another syringe from the pouch he'd had in his jacket. "I'm going to take some blood and get String to take it to the Wolf for analysis. I think he was given something other than Rohypnol I know he had six weeks on the drug, but something isn't sitting right with me. It's a suggestive drug, but Callen isn't the sort to try to kill himself. I may be wrong, but let's see what the tox analyzer in the Wolf comes up with."

Sam smiled as Archangel took the blood sample, "G would hate you by now if he were awake." He said as the man boxed up the sample. "G hates needles."

Archangel smiled as he turned to go, "I know who do you think gave him the fear."

* * *

Maria walked around the debris left behind after Callen's extraction, she had no idea what she was going to do now, her employer was dead and she was alone.

She jumped as she heard a noise, a small one. She would have missed it had it not been deathly quiet.

She gathered her skirts up and ran as fast as she could towards the noise.

"Antonio?" She called hoping it was him, it wasn't. She almost sobbed, but pressed on, her small hands moving debris as she looked for the source of the sound.

The noise turned into an all out wail and in an instant she knew who it was.

"Carlos." She sighed, tears of joy rolling down her face as she picked up her child, "My son, you're safe." She checked him quickly to see if he had been hurt, but apart from a small scratch on his face, he was unharmed. "Your papa is dead." She said as she sank to the ground holding him. "We are alone here."

She cried.

She had known nothing but this life, her life before being given to Rodriguez didn't matter. She had been picked from the orphanage she had grown up in when Senior Rodriguez had come to see the Mother Superior running it, he had grown enamoured with the young teenager who had been sitting outside the Mother Superior's office, in trouble again, for something, but she couldn't remember what.

She had thought he was going to be her new father. When she had arrived here and settled in her first night had been informative, he had told her what he wanted from her. She had, at first resisted. But after a nice meal she had felt strange and had woken up sore and naked in bed with him a few hours later. That was how it had been for the first few months. Then she had started to realize he was being kind to her after Antonio had tried to hurt her and Rodriguez had saved her, that night he had asked her if she was grateful and she had tearfully promised she was as he promised to keep her just for him and not give her to the other men in the compound. At fourteen, less than six months ago, she had given birth to her son, Carlos. He had been the apple of his father's eye and Rodriguez had gone so far as to promise to marry her for giving him a son, as soon as she was old enough. She had tried to protest that she was old enough, having birthed a child, but the swift backhander from her lover had made her realize what a stupid child she was at times. In fact the only person who had been nice to her since she had arrived apart from Rodriguez had been Callen. Then he had destroyed her world.

All she knew was that her lover had planned to take this 'Airwolf' and sell it to the Reynosa Cartel, maybe if she could do that then she and her son wouldn't be left destitute. It was Callen's fault that she was there alone, with a son at fifteen. He needed to pay.

She fashioned a makeshift sling for her son and decided that, for now, she would look for the ' _father'_ of her child. After all the authorities would help a 15 year old looking for the father of her child rather than a 15 year old out to kill a man in cold blood.

She packed up what she could carry and they headed in the direction of the nearest town.


	8. Chapter 8

Callen had slept solidly for a week, Archangel had narrowed down the drugs in his system and the company had an antidote for them, but the dosage in his system had to be scaled back slowly, or Callen would suffer from more hallucinations and irrational behavior.

To make sure he didn't try to kill himself again, the team had taken turns to watch over Callen, no one leaving him alone for a moment. Hetty however, had not returned to Callen's room.

Nell and Sue were in the kitchen, Sue was grilling up the catch of the day that String, along with Deeks had caught, Deeks delighting in the fact that he was good at fishing. Kensi had joked that Deeks could do anything water related as he was part fish. But Deeks had proudly brought his two large trout into the house and set them on the counter for Sue to clean and gut before she grilled them.

Hetty was sitting with Caitlyn drinking tea and chatting about the child she had announced a few days ago she was carrying. Hetty reminiscing about when both SinJin and Stringfellow were babies. The brothers grimacing at every anecdote and using it as an excuse to go and sit upstairs with their brother, grumbling about crazy old aunts as they went, though both were smiling as they said it.

Nell was looking up as much as she could about Rodriguez and his operation. She hadn't liked what she had found so far. They were in league with a number of Drug Cartels across northern Mexico and linked to the deaths of at least three DEA agents. Nell shivered as she thought of the fact that Callen had nearly joined the ranks of deceased agents whose demise was due solely to the Rodriguez family.

* * *

SinJin and String talked quietly as they sat in Callen's room. Every once in a while they would stop and look over at their little brother.

"We made a mistake." SinJin said.

String looked up at him from his chair, "You think rescuing G was a mistake?" He asked, surprised, not noticing Callen flinch in his sleep.

"No, I think us, obeying advice and not reaching out to him when we found out about him was a mistake." Sinjin walked to the balcony and looked out at the view beyond. "I trust Aunt Hetty, but it's obvious that G needed to know about us, about mom and her life here."

String nodded, "I don't like it, why would Aunt Hetty not tell G about her being a Comescu and why would that scare him so much?"

Sinjin turned checking G was still asleep, "I don't know, but she won't talk to us until he's awake and feeling better. But as much as I love her, he's our brother and I won't turn against him, no matter what she says."

"I know, I wish he would trust us. But I understand why he wouldn't. Hetty had Dominic stay here with me from when mom and dad died until I was an adult, but to find out she didn't take G in when she found him, she left him in the system, alone." String got up and started to pace, "I want to know why, and why she waited to tell us about him until he went to work with the firm."

G groaned as he started to wake up, he could hear voices and memories flashed back thick and fast.

Sinjin stopped and looked over at G as he groaned.

"G... Callen? Are you ok?" He asked, moving to help him up.

"'Et off me…" Callen moved away, not sure who had him.

String went to the door and opened it as Sam arrived, the others left to give Sam and G the room.

Immediately he went over to the bed, "G it's Sam, you're safe. You were drugged, you've been asleep for a week while we took the drugs out of your system."

"Sam?" Callen opened his eyes and sat up, groaning and holding his head as he did so.

Sam smiled as he saw Callen's eyes. "Welcome back partner." he said.

Slowly he looked around the room, "It's real isn't it."He sighed sadly, "Those men, mom, Hetty, I didn't imagine it?"

"They are your brothers G, isn't that great you have family."

Callen let out a long, low breath, "Yeah, it's great Sam."

Sam handed him a glass of water and helped him drink. "You feel better?" He asked concerned.

"I'll live." Callen replied.

Sam grinned, "Always a good start partner, I'll give you some privacy, the bathroom is over there, you can meet us downstairs and we'll get you some food and we'll talk." Sam walked towards the door, noting with a small smile that the balcony windows were now locked. "And shower will you, you've been asleep a week, you smell." He added with a smirk as he closed the door and left.

* * *

G walked into the bathroom, it was clean and comfortable, there was a shower, clean towels and a shaving kit all ready for him. Taking advantage of it, he showered, shaved and used the clippers he noticed to cut his hair back to a manageable level. Walking out of the bathroom, he found clean clothes on the bed. He quickly dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was thinner than he had been in a long time, he still had fading bruises and bags under his eyes, but he felt more himself than he had in a long time and he hoped that he would be able to face what at the moment were half whispered ideas in his head. He needed to be on top of his game to handle this, there was no way he was going to falter now. Before he had had drugs in his system and couldn't be held responsible, now he was going to go on the offensive. One last check through his bag revealed something that made him smile, he tucked it into the small of his back and headed to the door, now he was ready.

Sam waited outside the room and smiled as Callen opened the door.

"You ready for this?" He asked, worried about his friend. For a moment Sam thought he saw some anger directed at him behind his partner's eyes, but in less than an instant it was gone. He figured that Callen was working on his masks to handle what was about to face him downstairs.

Callen steeled himself and squaring his shoulders, walked to the top of the stairs Kensi, Deeks and Nell were nowhere to be seen, he looked over at Sam, who just shrugged, "They went for a walk." He told him.

In the main room below was that man in white again, leaning against the mantel warming himself by a crackling fire. Hetty was sipping a cup of tea in a wingback chair, smiling down at the Gundog who stretched out basking in the warmth of the flame.

SinJin and String sat on the couch, both drinking coffee and talking quietly amongst themselves. String stopped and looked up as he heard the quiet footfalls on the landing above them.

* * *

Hetty put her cup down and turned to see Callen slowly walking down the stairs.

She opened her mouth, but String stood up, "G, Sam, come join us."

They walked down the stairs, Sam shooting Callen a look of concern as he nonchalantly walked into the room, quickly surveying it for threats and took a chair with it's back to the wall where he could see them all.

"Coffee?" String asked Sam and G. Sam nodded, but Callen shook his head.

String went to get Sam's drink and Callen waited.

Surprisingly Callen wasn't the first one to voice the question that was on his mind. SinJin was.

"So, Aunt Hetty…" He started, "Why didn't you tell us we had a brother earlier, and why does the mention of this Comescu person make him angry and you sad?" He asked.

Hetty looked shocked, but she realized that it was time she explained and hoped that by the time she was done all three of her boys wouldn't hate her.

"My first thought was to protect you and Stringfellow," She started as he sat down, handing Sam his coffee and noticing her first words caused his little brother to start subconsciously rubbing his thumb and forefinger together in an attempt to get grounded.

Callen gave a small huff of derision and Hetty looked at him sadly. "They didn't live with your mother's name, they were safe from the blood feud." she said.

"What blood feud?" String asked.

"Our family against hers. That's why you kept us separated wasn't it, so eventually you could kill me, the last of the Callen's, they weren't given my name so I assume you wanted them to live." Callen stood up and started pacing, "I can't kill you, even if you are a Comescu… so…." He took his gun, which he had found earlier in the bottom of his bag and placed it on the small table next to her teapot. "I won't fight you anymore. Kill me." he stepped back, his palms wide awaiting her next move.


	9. Chapter 9

Hetty looked stunned, she never thought anyone would put her in this situation, despite her horror at the situation her hand moved in spite of herself, not to fire the gun, but to move it out of harms way.

Both String and SinJin jumped up, putting themselves between their Aunt and their brother.

"NO!" They said in unison.

SinJin looked at the hurt on Hetty's face and the devastation on G's, as he watched her hand move.

" _Stop it_ , both of you, we are family, let's act like it!" SinJin ordered, "Now, Sit Down!" He said, glaring at his brother. "And you…" He turned and pointed at Hetty, "Explain why you want to kill our brother."

"I don't." Hetty said flatly as Callen sat down defeated.

"I can't help my birth just as my sister, Clara's mother, couldn't help hers. She fell in love with George Callen and your mother was born. We vowed never to uphold the family blood feud, in fact we tried to stop it. A fact which cost Sorina her life and nearly cost me mine. I changed my name and stayed in America, keeping watch over Clara as best I could after your grandparents did. I became a friend and helped her when she was picked by the Agency to join up. I did all I could to dissuade her from taking that mission in Romania after your father died." She looked at SinJin and String and realized they didn't know this. "The accident that killed your father, that you thought killed your mother was no accident. She was targeted by Comescu's. You, Saint John, had enlisted and already in Vietnam, your younger brother Stringfellow was away at school when the Alexa's father caught up with Clara and Alan, he planted a bomb in the boat, by the time I got there it was too late. Your father was dead, but I found Clara and I had to tell her who I was and what had happened. I hid her to keep her safe."

"We lost years we could have had with her." String said, his eyes misting as he realized what he had lost out on, "Eight years, I could have known my sister and been there for them when our mother died."

Callen looked at them both, unable to speak, thinking of how his life would have been different had he been brought up in a loving family, he still would have been an orphan, but he would have had a name and people who cared.

"It wasn't safe." Hetty said, "I did what was best for you. Clara swore to take down my family and she headed to Romania where I lost touch with her, until she emerged six years later with two more children." She looked over at Callen watching the emotions he was desperately trying to bury fly across his face.

"What happened?" SinJin asked Hetty waiting for the older woman to answer, however the response came from Callen.

* * *

"We went to the beach, Clara had called Hetty for help, I think she had been recognized, Amy went to play soccer on the sand with some local children and I stayed near mom, building sand castles." He stopped for a moment shaking his head as if to dislodge or dispel the memories. "A man came over and said something to her, I was distracted by a tin soldier that another man with a wheel tattoo gave me, I thought he was nice and I played with it. There was a noise and it rained a little and then mom stopped laughing."

Hetty had her hands over her mouth with horror as Callen described what he remembered.

"I went over to her a while later, I wanted to show her what I had done, but she wouldn't answer me. Other people went home and Amy came over to me as I couldn't move, I...I…" Callen looked away, ashamed, tears rolling down his face, "I lifted her hat and poked my finger in the hole in her head, like when I had cut myself, but she didn't cry or move." He took the bottle of water that was handed to him by Sam and took a drink. "It got dark, momma never moved and Amy and I waited for someone to come. We saw people coming out of the house where the men had come from and we ran. I don't remember much. We went home, there should have been someone there, but there wasn't... Things were... Wrong... A man came in and I ran... I hurt and…" Callen shook his head in frustration, "I don't remember anything more."

Hetty was sitting in the chair, tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"You told me you were supposed to be there, You were supposed to take us safely back to America, You didn't turn up... I thought it was because the CIA ordered you not to interfere, but I know now, it was because you were _Comescu_." He spat the last word with such venom that everyone but Sam looked shocked.

"I am who I was born to be, I cannot help that. I have always tried to do my best for you and your brothers."

"So, where were you?" Callen asked softly.

"I cannot be blamed for the actions of my family no more than you can for yours, I have watched over you for so long, I have always had your best interests at heart." Hetty continued.

"So, where were you?" Callen asked again as Hetty focused on String and SinJin.

"I kept you from being linked to your mother, so the Comescu's couldn't find you. String stayed with Dominic and in boarding school, you were in Vietnam, then you were lost."

" _WHERE WERE YOU?!_ " Callen shouted.

They all jumped and Hetty looked guilty. "I was on my way to you when we got word the Saint John had been killed in Vietnam. I diverted, assuming that your mother would be safe until I could get to her. I didn't want to tell her that her oldest child had died before I knew how."

Callen shook his head, unwilling to vocalize the thoughts running through his brain. But SinJin wasn't unwilling at all.

"Hetty? You knew Mom had children with her, they were small and Mom never asked anyone for help until she really needed it. Why didn't you go to her?"

"I knew about Amy, I didn't know about her son. I knew they lived with her husband, I assumed they would be safe. It wasn't until I found out about Amy being alone in America without her father, and then someone asked me about her brother, they asked if I knew his name."

"So you don't know?" Callen asked.

Hetty shook her head, "I'm afraid I don't."

"But you knew about Amy, what was she, six? Seven?" String asked.

"She was with her father, I thought he was with them." Hetty argued.

"Who was he?" Callen asked.

Hetty shrugged slightly, "All I know is he was with the KGB, a Major."

"Is he dead?" Callen asked hesitantly.

"I don't know."

"Why did you keep this from me, why not let me meet my brothers, when you took me in at fifteen?" Callen asked.

Both SinJin and String looked shocked at that.

"You lived with Hetty?" String asked.

Callen nodded, "Just after I ran away from Juvie, she saved me, I owed her." He shook his head, angry at himself, "I thought she was different to the others, I thought she cared." He got up again and started pacing.

"Others?" SinJin asked.

Callen shook his head and walked to stand outside the cabin, staring at the beauty of the lake trying to calm down the turmoil in his soul.

"Foster placements," Hetty supplied as she watched the younger brother lean on the railing and focus on the lapping of the water. "Mr. Callen's placements were not as nice as yours was with Mr. Santini." She said looking at String.

"How bad?" SinJin asked, worried about his brother.

Hetty shook her head, watching Callen as he paced again, "Bad Saint John, it was bad. Once or twice I nearly lost him, eventually I had to step in or we would have lost him to crime."

"Which is why we need to keep an eye on him right now." Archangel said finally moving from his spot by the fireplace. "The medications that were in his system, coupled with the revelations he's being hit with means his mind is unstable. He will need the support of you all and his team. He needs to know he's wanted and he's not alone."

"He isn't." Sam said and turned to Hetty, "Right?"

"Of course not Mr. Hanna, we will all be there for him."

"Well, right now, I am going fishing, and I'm taking my little brother with me." String declared as he grabbed two fishing poles and headed out of the door.

* * *

String walked up behind Callen and moved to lean against him. "Seeing as you are already out here, it's time to get lunch." he handed him a fishing pole. "Come on."

Looking at the pole Callen gave a small smirk and sighed, "Ok," He followed his brother to the two rocking chairs situated at the end of the dock.

Callen sat for the better part of an hour, watching as his brother baited first his hook, then his own. He handed Callen his pole and cast off, Callen gave a small smile and attempted to have a try of his own.

It was a while as they sat back in silence, listening to the sounds of nature around them.

String sat back listening to his brother start to relax and smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry." Callen said softly.

"What for?" String asked, not looking at him.

"For bringing this all to you, out here. This place is beautiful, you don't need this… or me." He added softly.

String smiled, "I love having a little brother and not being the youngest. I know your life hasn't been easy G, but I am glad you are my brother and I am proud to be related to you, you've been through a lot and have come out the other side a stronger man for it. I remember mom and I know she would be proud of the man you have become."

He reeled his rod for a moment, giving his brother, his privacy, knowing that beside him Callen was silently crying, but he had a smile on his face and he was happy.


	10. Chapter 10

As it turned out Hetty owned two other cabins on the lake, smaller than Stringfellow's, but not by much. Hetty stood the team down after putting a call into Vance and called Eric down for a break letting Granger and the B team take over the day to day operations at the mission. Kensi, Deeks, Eric and Nell took one cabin. Sam and Hetty the other. Callen opted to stay with String and SinJin after both brothers protested him leaving, citing the fact they had missed out on too much as it was.

Callen was pleased the others decided to stay, as much as he was enjoying time with his brothers, he needed the familiarity of his team. The only people he had pulled away from was Archangel, who for some reason unnerved him, and Hetty.

Sam was concerned about Hetty, she had moved to her cabin and not been to join the team or the brothers for meals since she had arrived there. He could see the sadness within her at the lost of contact from Callen. He knew she had her reasons, but he could see how much the rift between them both hurt them.

It was late, it had been a week since they had moved to the cabin and Sam headed down to the main room, after talking with Michelle and filling her in, to talk to Hetty about the rift between her and Callen.

He stopped at the top of the stairs as he heard Archangel and Hetty talking.

"You need to talk to him Michael, I don't believe you kept this from them!" The shock in her voice was evident.

"We all keep secrets Henrietta, You kept yours for the greater good, it's the same reason that I kept mine." Archangel argued.

"Yes and look how well, keeping my secret turned out, all the boys are angry with me and although Saint John and Stringfellow try for my sake, Mr. Callen will not even look at me, and when he does... Michael the look on his face breaks my heart. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was a Top Secret Operation, She had no idea who I was or what I did. You know how important keeping a cover is in our line of work."

Even though he knew it was wrong, Sam couldn't help but stand there and listen.

"But when you got involved with Stringfellow and got him involved with the Airwolf mission, surely you knew then?" Hetty asked.

Archangel shook his head, "I didn't know, not till the first time I walked into Strings' house and saw the painting. Even then I tried to convince myself that I was wrong, that it wasn't her."

Hetty sighed, "What convinced you it was?"

"When he was talking about how his mother died. How He and Amy came back to the house and something was missing." Archangel slumped into the chair opposite Hetty. "I knew then, all that I had tried to deny was wrong. I thought they were dead, I knew, because you said that G was their brother, you _never_ mentioned Amy. Never once…"

"I didn't know of your connection, I was hurt as I thought Amy had died when she was eleven, then there was a case where, for a brief moment I had hoped she was alive, but she wasn't." Hetty sipped her tea settling back into her chair. "The question here Michael is are you going to tell him?"

Michael took a sip of his own tea, "I don't know. I want to, I really do. But seeing how he reacted to your little omission, and the fact that he's finally settling and getting to know his brothers, I worry that by telling him I'll be doing him more harm than good."

Hetty nodded in understanding, but she had a question that needed asking, "Michael, when the children got back to the house, where were you?"

Sam's eyes widened in shock as he heard the question, This man was G's father?

"I had sent Clara and the children to meet you, the KGB were onto me, my cover was compromised, I tried to get to them, but I was taken and questioned for six months before I escaped, that's how I got the limp. I was never cleared again for fieldwork. I met Callen a week before the attack by Moffat, I knew he was looking into my past in a bid to blackmail me to steal Airwolf, I had to keep my distance." Archangel looked sad but sighed and continued. "I kept tabs on him as much as I could, but Moffat noticed my interest in him, so I arranged to have him transferred to NCIS."

Sam walked into the room, "This Moffat, is he a danger to G?" He growled concerned for his partner.

"How much did you hear?" Archangel snapped at the man.

"Enough to know you're lying to him, he deserves to know the truth, there's been too much lying in his life."

"I agree, but right now he needs to recover, I promise Mr. Hanna, I will tell your partner the truth as soon as I can."

"Good, and you can start by telling him his name."

"I will, I promise. Sam I am glad you are looking out for my son. I promise you both Henrietta and I have his best interests at heart. He's learned a lot recently, right now he needs to connect with his brothers, learn who he is in their lives, what his place is. Please Sam, let him do that first. Let me get to know him, unguarded, before we tell him. Please?" Archangel asked.

Sam sighed, "I'll do it, but I will tell you now I think you are making a huge mistake."

* * *

Callen laughed as SinJin showed him a photo and told him the story of Strings first fishing trip.

"Honest, he screamed as he baited the hook and cried for hours after he landed his first fish." SinJin grinned as String smiled indulgently. "And, it was about four pounds smaller than your first fish." He nodded at the picture String had insisted on taking when Callen had landed his first fish a week ago, although he had been mixed up in his head, his pride of catching his first fish was evident. The picture was surrounded by others, one of Callen with both his brothers, one of G with the team and one of G with Sue and Caitlyn. It had been a week since that first fishing lesson with String and he was slowly, allowing them in, they were telling him stories they had of his mother and he in turn was telling them, heavily redacted stories from his own childhood, just the few nice memories he had, the nicer homes he had stayed in.

Callen laughed, "I went hunting once, had a set of foster parents into living off the land, insisted I go hunting for deer with them."

"How did that turn out?" SinJin asked.

"I cried for hours, I didn't want to shoot it, so I hid all the bullets." He admitted.

"What happened?" String asked.

"I got them convinced they had left the ammo behind and we went camping anyway and they caught rabbits instead, but I didn't have to shoot them." Callen replied. What he left out was that the day they were due to return the foster father had found the ammo under Callen's sleeping bag and had beaten him so bad that he spent two days in hospital afterwards, the foster parent swore he had fallen down a cliff.

String, somehow could sense there was something Callen was holding back, but didn't push. "You have any pictures of you as a kid?" he asked.

Callen smiled and nodded, "I didn't, not till recently. There was a guy, Hans Schreiber, who had apparently been following me all my life, he had hundreds of photo's in his closet. So now I have lots."

Both SinJin and String looked interested at that, "Do you think he was your father?" SinJin asked.

Callen shook his head, "I did for a while, but when he died, he told me to tell my father the debt was paid. Turns out my father apparently helped his family escape through the iron curtain. Had a name, but not sure if it's correct, I've been told a few names, Nikita, Michael, Garrison… I don't know anything more than that really, sorry." Callen sighed.

"I am too, if we knew a bit more we could work on finding him." SinJin offered.

Callen shrugged, "What's the point, he didn't want me as a kid, I doubt he'll want to know me now." He sighed.

"His loss our gain." String grinned, standing up, "Come on G, the others are coming over for a Barbecue tonight. You're helping with the grill."

"All of them?" Callen asked his stomach lurched at the thought of having to see Hetty again, and the man that was hanging around, the man in white, Archangel. Callen had a bad feeling about him."

"G?" String stopped, "We have your back, but you have to understand Hetty is our aunt, not just mine and SinJin's but yours as well, she's also your boss. You don't have to trust her or like her. Hell. I don't trust Archangel, but I have to work with him and you will have to work with her. Now is a good time to find middle ground. We will be with you the whole time. Trust us?" String asked as he laid a hand on G's shoulder.

Callen nodded, he knew that no matter what was to come he had a family now and he did trust them.


	11. Chapter 11

Maria rested her son on her hip as the Police officer took her statement.

He looked up at the young girl, she was exhausted, that much he could tell, also she was sobbing as she told of her imprisonment and rape at the hands of a federal agent.

"I was saved when some men raided the compound, they thought the Federal Agent had been kidnapped, it's not true, he was a part of things, you find him, he will tell you... look, his son... It looks like him." She pulled the covering from Carlos' face, his bright blue eyes and blond hair startling the officer. At that moment Maria was glad her son had picked up Antonio's coloring. Everything she told the officer was true, just few name changes here and there, enough to make out that the pig, Callen was a father. After all, this man didn't know her, or her situation so she was going to use it to her advantage. She needed money and she needed to be able to provide for her son now his father was dead, this Airwolf would be the means to getting it.

The officer took her details as another officer put a blanket over her shoulders, "Don't worry Miss, you're safe now. Can you tell me the Federal Agent's name?" He asked.

Maria feigned being terrified, "He thought we were all dead, if he finds out I'm alive, he'll kill me and take our son." She pulled Carlos closer to emphasize the fear of loss she was supposed to be feeling.

The female police officer moved her chair closer to her, "Please, we will do everything in our power to keep you both safe. We have a social worker here to see you, she wants to find somewhere safe for you to stay."

Tears welled up in Maria's eyes, "No... Please do not let them take my baby!"

The officer smiled, "They will keep you together, we just want the name of the Federal Agent, so he can be brought to justice."

She dropped her head as if defeated, her long hair covering her smile as she replied. "Callen…. His name is just G. Callen... He is a federale, with NCIS."

The police woman nodded to the social worker, who came to take Maria's details and tell her about the safe house they had found for her and her son.

* * *

Callen looked at his bag, he sat on the bed in what was now, according to his brothers, his room. He didn't want to go, but he knew that work was calling and he couldn't be here forever.

He looked up as the door knocked and opened as String walked in with two coffees.

"How do you do that?" Callen asked, looking at the coffee, knowing it was just what he needed.

String smiled, "I'm your brother." He replied as he sat at the end of the bed and handed his younger brother his coffee. "So, what's wrong?" he asked.

Callen shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee to help quell the unease he was feeling. "I have to go back today." he sighed.

"You ok with that?" String asked, saddened that Callen and Hetty still hadn't fully made amends.

"I'll be ok to work with her." Callen said a frown flitting across his face, "I don't trust her, but I will follow her lead at work."

"It'll take time Cal, I know she loves you as much as she does us." He held up his hand as Callen started to object and carried on. "She made mistakes, we are all paying the price for those, but you know about us now and we are not going to lose touch with you, I promise." String said sincerely.

Callen leaned back with a sigh, "I spent so long looking for family, it hurts knowing that she knew about you and never told me. I wonder what else she's keeping from me, you know?"

"Remember brother, you are keeping stuff from her too, I mean, you haven't talked to any of us about what happened while you were with Rodriguez." Callen got off the bed and started pacing, his bare feet slapping against the polished wooden floor.

String waited, but said nothing.

"I can't talk about it, it's done." Callen said a few minutes later.

String shook his head, "It isn't done, you went through it, you need to talk about it."

Callen was annoyed that there was something about his time in incarceration that he couldn't remember, it was important and kept niggling at him. He paced again, "I can't talk about it. It's not that I don't want to... I just can't..." He snapped slightly annoyed at himself.

String shook his head with a wry grin, "You're worse than SinJin, you know that."

Callen outright laughed at that. "At least I know I'm like you guys in some way."

String nodded, "What time are you leaving?" He asked.

"Sam said we are going this afternoon, something about the cars Hetty book getting here from Los Angeles to get us home this evening."

"Good. Get your boots on, I got something to show you." String got up and grabbed his coffee mug, "Grab a jacket." he grinned and jogged down the stairs, listening to the sound of his little brother scrabbling to catch up with him.

* * *

String got downstairs just as Sam arrived, "Morning, you don't need Cal for anything do you?" He asked.

Sam shook his head, a smirk playing around his lips just as Callen yelled from upstairs.

"Wait up! I'm coming!" and he ran to the top of the stairs and jogged down them, slowing as he saw his partner.

"Sam? Do you know what's going on?" Callen asked

"I don't know anything." Sam lied. He had talked at length with String about doing this, after all Callen hadn't asked about his rescue, he hadn't talked about his time in captivity at all, for Sam it had bothered him. String had suggested taking him to Airwolf, after all he was family and deserved to know how he got out.

"You coming?" Callen asked.

Sam shook his head, "I'm getting everyone sorted, it's gonna take me, Nell and Eric to get Kensi and Deeks out of bed."

Callen grimaced and waved his hand at Sam, "I don't want to know."

Sam chuckled and watched as String and Callen left the cabin. He walked over to the radio, "He's on his way." He said to SinJin who was already in Airwolf waiting to meet them.

After driving out to the desert for an hour, Stringfellow pulled up to a halt in the middle of nowhere.

For a moment Callen panicked, but he hid it well, this was his brother on some level he knew he was safe, but instinct had kicked in and he felt for the familiar weight of the gun in his back and realized he had left it at the cabin.

String saw the move, "You're safe Cal, just needed to stop here for SinJin."

"Why are we meeting him here?" Callen asked.

"He needs space for the wolf." String said.

For the first time Callen was confused, he had heard SinJin, String and Archangel talking about a wolf, he thought it was an animal.

"I heard you talking about a wolf at the barbecue, Is it wild?" Callen asked.

"Kinda, but it's not an animal." String looked at his watch, "We have time, listen." He started, as Callen turned his attention to his brother.

* * *

"A long time ago the CIA tested a new helicopter, a super weapon, it was an attack helicopter with a state of the art computer system. The man testing it was rogue and he attacked the demonstration, that's how Archangel lost his eye."

"Damn, What happened to the guy testing it?"

"His name was Moffat, he had a grudge against Archangel and the CIA and he stole Airwolf."

"So what happened?" Callen asked.

String sighed, "Archangel had an assistant... Gabrielle, she was CIA, She was sent to Libya with me to get Airwolf back. I loved her and Moffat killed her." He stopped for a moment to let the full implication of his words sink in. "I took Airwolf back and kept her, I blackmailed Archangel to help me find out where my brother's body was and to bring him home."

"And yet you get on with him?" Callen asked amazed.

"He gets on with us, he knows that one day I may give him the Wolf back, but not while he's keeping secrets, the Firm knew about my brother, SinJin being alive, I know that someone knew about you and no one told me and until we get answers we keep her safe. However, we do work for Archangel, when it's for the greater good. So he has to keep me sweet."

There was a loud scream as Sinjin and Airwolf cleared the ridge in the distance and set down a little way from them.

Callen looked in awe at the state of the art helicopter.

"You _STOLE_ this?" He asked.

"More like confiscated." String said with a smirk that Callen found familiar.

The helicopter rotors slowed and ground to a halt. There was a release of pressure as the door opened. A man in a helmet exited and again Callen wished he had his gun with him, he moved to shield String from this man, then relaxed as he took his helmet off.

"What do you think G?" SinJin said.

"It's awesome," Callen looked at the helicopter, small flashes of his rescue coming back to him. He gripped the side of the jeep they had been riding in as he swayed. He knew he had forgotten something…. Something important…

"Maria!" he gasped.


	12. Chapter 12

String looked as Callen gasped a name, he'd heard it before while he'd been delirious, but Callen had not mentioned the name again, so he had thought nothing of it, after all even now, years later, he would wake up calling Gabrielle's name in his sleep. Luckily, Sue was an understanding woman, who knew he loved her implicitly and this didn't have an impact on their relationship, but sharing who Gabrielle had been for him had made them grow stronger.

"Maria?" he asked.

Callen shook his head and turned away, he wasn't sure who she was, only that he cared about her, she was young he knew that, but she had been kind to him and he had left her there, alone.

"It doesn't matter." He snapped, "Nice helicopter…" He tried changing the subject. "Any chance we could take a ride back to where you found me, I just think, before I go back to Los Angeles I need to see the place I was held at."

String nodded, maybe it would do his brother some good, dislodge some of those memories. "Ok, but we can't land there, we'll just go over, so you can see ok?"

Callen nodded as SinJin climbed out of the helicopter.

* * *

Ten minutes later they were back in the air, Callen marvelling at the technology in the helicopter as they flew low avoiding the radar.

The compound seemed bigger to Callen as he flew over it.

"Are you sure there's no one down there?" He asked, his voice sounding tinny over the headset.

String, now in the cockpit looked outside, "We can check thermal imaging if you want?" He offered.

Callen looked over at both his brothers hopefully, "Please…"

Sinjin tapped the controls, scanning the information in front of him, he shook his head, "A few rats, maybe a dog or a coyote, but nothing human." He confirmed.

"Maybe she got away." He mumbled to himself, hopefully.

"What was that?" String asked.

"Nothing," Callen replied with a fake grin, "I said I'm glad I got away, it looks awful down there."

String nodded, "It was, I'm glad we got you too bro."

Callen sat back in silence as they flew back to where SinJin had picked them up, he couldn't remember much about Maria, that was true, a fleeting glimpse of her eyes, the touch of her hand, the overwhelming urge to protect her at all costs. But she wasn't there, he knew she hadn't been killed, so he hoped she had gotten away. Maybe she had been kept prisoner too, he didn't know, but he hoped she was safe. He decided that as soon as he could, he would see if the computers at NCIS could dig anything up on her, just to make sure she was ok.

The flight back was uneventful, Callen chatted about the helicopter, his brothers surprised that he wasn't as in awe of the machine as most people who first saw it were. However, over a small private Comm. chat, Sinjin told String it was probably because he had been tortured to get them to hand over Airwolf in the first place and to give G the space he needed to recover, reluctantly String agreed and they talked about the view and other miscellaneous things on the ride back to take his mind off it.

Callen leaned against the Jeep shielding his eyes as SinJin took off in Airwolf, to hide her safely again.

"So, that's Airwolf...?"

String nodded, "Yep, you can see why we keep it a secret, can't you?"

Callen watched as the helicopter screeched over the horizon and was gone. "Yep, if a terrorist group got their hands on it we'd all be in trouble."

"So you'll keep the secret?"

"Of course," Callen promised as he climbed into the jeep.

String looked over at his little brother, "I'm gonna miss you." He admitted.

Callen looked exactly how he felt, uncomfortable. No one had ever said they would miss him before. "I'm only gonna be in LA, you have my number, and Hetty's so you can find me if you need me."

"You'll stay out of trouble won't you?" String asked.

Callen shrugged, "Can't promise." He replied honestly.

* * *

Walking back into the Mission two days later, Sam watched as Callen stopped for a second before crossing the threshold to the bullpen.

"You ok G?" He asked.

Callen plastered a grin on his face, "Sure, just wanted to make sure my desk was still mine." He half joked.

Sam looked over, "Your nameplate is still there, so I guess it's still yours."

Callen smirked and walked over to his desk, putting his bag down and sinking into the well worn and comfortable seat with a sigh.

"Getting old there?" Deeks remarked as he and Kensi walked in to start the day.

"Nope, just glad to be back." Callen replied with a smile as Kensi dropped a coffee and a doughnut on his desk.

"Welcome back Callen." She smiled and took her seat next to him.

"See, now that's the kind of welcome back, I mean." Callen replied, taking a bite of the doughnut and a drink of his coffee.

Sam shot a mock glare at Kensi, "You spoil him like this and he'll want to drive my car next." He grouched.

Callen nodded as if considering it, "Well?" he started as Sam stood up and grabbed the keys from his desk.

"No…. Just no... Your driving makes me car sick." Sam complained.

Hetty walked over with a dark look on her face, "Mr. Callen, Mr. Deeks… you are wanted in the Boatshed." she said grimly.

Deeks and Callen looked concerned. "Are you switching partners on us Hetty?" Callen asked.

Hetty shook her head, "Far from it. I've just had a phonecall from LAPD, there is a warrant out for your arrest. Mr. Deeks will be meeting with Lt. Bates and Detective Jensen in the Boatshed, Mr. Deeks will be acting as your counsel."

"What?!" Sam exclaimed, "What the hell is he wanted for?"

Callen looked at the older woman with the same question on his mind.

Hetty blinked as the tears she was desperately trying to hold back threatened to fall.

"Child abuse, Ra…." She found she couldn't say it, "Just go Mr. Callen and take Deeks with you."

"Hetty?" Callen looked worried, "What is this about? I mean which Alias are they blaming?"

"No alias, Mr. Callen… You… You are accused of fathering a child with an underaged girl, holding her captive and abusing her."

"WHAT!" Callen shouted, "I'd never... Ever!…. Hetty?"

"Please, Mr. Callen, do not keep them waiting, we need to get this over and dealt with before Director Vance finds out about this."

"We'll all go, G's not going to face this alone, we know you've been set up." Sam said defending his partner.

Against her better judgement Hetty nodded, after all... If…. And she very loosely meant _if_ , Callen was guilty, there was no one better than his team to keep him in line. She walked back to her desk and picked up the phone, she trusted her team, but this was something she couldn't control.

"Michael, I need your help." She said as the doors to the mission slammed shut with a fatalistic bang.


	13. Chapter 13

Callen sat in silence as he and Deeks drove towards the Boatshed.

"It's going to be alright Callen, you know they have nothing on you. Hell, you haven't even been in LA for the last few months. We'll talk to them, get to the bottom of this and sort it."

Callen took a deep breath but said nothing.

He hadn't ever hurt a child, not since he was one and those fights had never been started by him. Although he had finished every single one of them, not always the victor, but he would never back down from a fight.

Deeks pulled up outside the Boatshed, and walked inside with Callen.

"Hey guys." Deeks grinned at Lt. Bates and Detective Jensen.

"Deeks." Jensen growled, "That Callen?"

"Agent Callen has surrendered himself voluntarily. Now we'd like to know what the charges are against him." Deeks demanded.

"What are you Deeks, his lawyer?" Jensen asked derisively.

"Yes." Deeks replied, "I have an active law degree and Agent Callen is my client."

Jensen laughed, "So you defend child abusers."

"My client hasn't been charged or convicted of anything." Deeks replied, looking annoyed at Bates who hadn't moved.

Callen leaned against the table waiting.

"In here Agent Callen." Bates said, gesturing to the interrogation room. Callen walked in and went to sit his usual side of the table. "Other side." Bates smirked as Callen walked around and sat in the chair.

Deeks sat next to Callen waiting to see what the two LAPD officers would come up with, noting with satisfaction that Eric was taping the interview.

* * *

"I believe, you went…'missing' a few months ago Agent Callen, how have you recovered from that?" Jensen asked.

"Fine." Callen replied.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Callen shook his head, "Classified." he snapped.

"Convenient." Bates replied.

"We need to know what happened while you were with Rodriguez, we have information, you were not held hostage, but you were actually a part of the gang. We have proof that you took advantage and raped an underaged girl. We know you were instrumental in working with the gang."

" ** _THAT'S NOT TRUE!_** " Callen shouted, slamming his fists on the table.

"Give us a DNA sample, prove it!" Jensen baited him.

"NO!" Callen stood up and Deeks put a calming hand on his shoulder and made him sit back down.

"Callen…"

"I didn't!" Callen shuddered as Deeks held him firm.

"We want to see proof, show us your evidence." Deeks demanded.

Bates looked over at Jensen, who nodded.

"She did say she would be willing to meet with him." Jensen said quietly.

"Wait here." Bates replied as they walked out, Deeks followed, leaving Callen sat alone in the room.

Deeks walked up to Bates as they left the room.

"What the hell? You know Callen, you know he isn't capable of something like this."

Bates turned to Deeks, "Yeah, I could have said the same sort of thing about you once upon a time," Bates said quietly. "People change, circumstances change. How well do you really know Callen?"

"Well enough to know he was tortured there, he was in no way a part of this group."

"We were told he shot at your teammates when they came to rescue him." Jensen said as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"That's because they drugged him." Sam said as he and Kensi walked in. "He had no idea what he was doing."

"How sure are you about that?" Jensen asked. "Our witness says that he was regularly there and he is the father to her child."

"He was locked in a room, he probably never even met your witness." Kensi scoffed as they watch Callen who had started pacing the room on the monitor.

"You were there." Bates said, "Your little boss admitted that much, are you telling me he looked like he wanted to get rescued?"

Kensi shook her head, "Well, no. But he was under the influence of drugs."

"But you don't know for a fact that he took them willingly?" Bates held up his hands as the others all stood to defend Callen. "We have to cover all angles."

Sam moved to make Callen a coffee, "I'm taking him in a coffee, you have a problem with that?" He asked squaring up to Bates.

Bates shook his head, "No, but don't talk to him about our witness."

"You haven't told me anything about the witness." Sam retorted.

"I know, Callen swears he didn't know anyone there, but I'm betting he'll remember the mother of his child."

* * *

Callen sat back, trying to think about everything he'd been told. The only children he had met had been Maria, and the baby Carlos. He had been a sweet kid and Callen had liked him when she'd had him with her. He hadn't hurt either of them. Maybe there were more children that had been hidden in the compound, he should have made Sam look harder, they should have saved the others.

He shook his head and placed it in his hands. They must have died when the raid happened on the compound. He sighed as he thought about them, they were so young.

"Here G." Sam said as he put the cup down in front of him. "It's coffee."

"Thanks." Callen said, not meeting his partner's eyes.

"Do you know anything that'll help Bates with this?" Sam asked. "It looks bad G."

"I don't know anything, I never saw anyone being abused." Callen looked away and to the left, in Sam's mind a sure sign he was lying.

"G... If you know anything, you need to tell me." Sam said.

"I don't know anything." Callen reiterated again.

Sam nodded, trusting his partner. "Ok." He stood up to go.

"Sam... Do you know who this witness is?" Callen asked concerned.

Sam shook his head, "I do know that as we left for the Boatshed Hetty seemed worried."

Callen sighed, he hoped she hadn't called his brothers, after all he was a big boy and had been looking after himself all these years, he didn't need her calling in the cavalry now.

* * *

In the main room Kensi turned as there was a knock on the door, "Hello?" A woman's voice called as she entered. "Detective Jensen?"

The detective's gruff demeanor softened at the sight of the woman and the young girl, who he noticed was still holding her baby.

"Hey guy's how are you doing?" He asked nicely.

"I slept well, as did Carlos. We have a good place Thank you." Maria replied as she held the sleeping child close to her in a new sling.

"Hello?" Kensi smiled at the girl, "I'm Kensi Blye NCIS, this is Sam Hanna and Detective Deeks from LAPD."

"Hello, I am Maria." She said shyly, her insides shaking as she recognized the large African American man and the woman from the compound.

"This is our witness." Bates said swiftly, He moved so she could see Callen on the monitor. "Maria, can you identify the man that hurt you, and the father of your child?" He asked.

Maria's eyes filled with tears as she saw the man she held responsible on the screen.

"Him!" she pointed to Callen on the monitor.

"Come on!" Kensi exclaimed.

"I do not lie!" Maria snapped back her tears falling, "You let me go in alone, you will see. He will ask about his son... I know he will. He will know my name."

"I don't like this." Deeks said honestly.

"It's not protocol. But it will advance our case, Detective Jensen will be just outside the door and you can record it all on camera.

Maria turned to the social worker who had accompanied her. "Please, keep him safe till I come out." She took off the sling letting Callen's co-workers see the blond haired, blue eyed child that she had been carrying.

They all looked amazed, the child did look like Callen.

"If I am lying, he will not know me and he will not ask after our son." Maria said standing defiantly. "I will do this for Justice, he must not hurt others."

Bates looked at Deeks, "You ok with this?"

"Callen should be told first." Deeks argued.

"If you tell him, he's going to lie, I want to see a genuine reaction." Jensen argued.

Hetty's face appeared on the monitor, "We will allow this Mr. Deeks." she ordered as Maria jumped at the interruption. "I am sorry, Miss?"

"Vasquez, Maria Vasquez, Ma'am." She said shyly.

Hetty nodded, "Thank you Miss Vasquez, Lt. Bates our technical staff will be recording this meeting." she informed them.

Maria shook as she walked towards the room Callen was in, she was so close, she just hoped he would react the same way they had trained him.

"Are you alright?" Kensi asked.

Maria wiped her eyes, "Yes Ma'am. I'm ready."

She opened the door and Maria walked in.

* * *

Callen was sitting with his head down on the desk, he was still trying to understand what they were doing to him when he heard the door open.

He wasn't in the mood for another of Sam's pep talks.

The door shut quietly and light footsteps moved to the back corner of the room.

Not Sam. Callen thought and looked up.

"Maria?" He asked, his voice full of surprise.

"Callen." She said.

Callen got up and walked over to her pulling her into his arms, "Oh my God I thought you were dead! Where is Carlos, is he alright... Is he with you?" he asked, worried for them.

Maria pulled away as the door opened and she rushed out.

"MARIA!" Callen called and tried to follow her only to be met by a punch in the face delivered by Jensen.

Callen fell back as Sam and Deeks came into the room to pull the detective off of the Agent.

"You son of a bitch!" Jensen yelled, "That's proof, you're a dirty agent."

"What?!" Callen held his eye and his nose as blood dripped down his face. "What? I never touched her like that... Who said I did?" He argued.

"She did, she said the child is yours."

Callen's eyes widened and he shook his head, "No...No… I wasn't there long enough, she's just a child… I just… NO!" He collapsed back onto the floor, his eyes brimming with tears, "I didn't, I would never… let me talk to her, she'll tell you the truth."

"She did tell us the truth, She offered her child's DNA, you won't let us take yours." Jensen argued.

"I didn't know you wanted it for this. I have to check with my boss, but I'm sure I can." Callen backtracked.

Jensen smirked, "You ain't got anyone who will save you now." He snarled.

The main door opened and a man in white stood there. "Actually, Detective Jensen he has." Archangel said, leaning slightly on his


	14. Chapter 14

Archangel stood there, leaning slightly on his cane as both Bates and Jensen looked at him open mouthed.

"Who the hell are you?" Jensen snapped.

"Archangel, why are you here?" Callen asked.

Archangel smirked and ignored the detectives, "You've only been back in Los Angeles a day and you get into this mess?" He said, sitting down and facing Callen.

"I didn't do it!" Callen argued.

Archangel nodded, "I know son, relax." He smiled at him and turned to the men. "Bates, you'll be getting a call from the commissioner to drop this case."

Bates looked over at Callen who looked as confused as he was.

"Just because you have pull, doesn't mean this man is innocent." Bates argued.

"No, but I have a DNA test which proves that the late Antonio Rodriguez is the father of Ms Vasquez's child. Not Mr. Callen. Also, I have video evidence that proves that Callen was not in league with the Rodriguez family at all."

"Why would the girl lie?" Bates asked.

Callen sat there, he couldn't answer that question, because his only answer was something he had promised never to talk about. He looked over at Archangel hoping the man would know exactly what he was thinking.

Archangel nodded and smiled, "Mr. Callen was tortured by the Rodriguez brothers in an attempt to get classified information out of him. He was held for ransom and did not at any time divulge the classified information he was being asked for. I have shown the evidence to the Commissioner who will be telling you that this case is closed. I would assume that Ms Vasquez is trying to get Agent Callen to give up that same information so she can sell the information on."

"Just like that?" Jensen asked. "Just who are you?"

"Someone who is way…. Way beyond your pay grade." Archangel replied.

"What about Maria?" Callen asked.

Jensen shot him a glare, not entirely convinced of his innocence.

"She will be relocated in a mother and child unit and given therapy to recover from her ordeal." Archangel said.

"They won't split them up will they?" Callen asked, worried, he knew how the system worked, especially when it came to underaged mother's. He'd seen the fall out too many times himself as a child.

"They will be taken care of, we are funding a scholarship for her so she can complete school and go to college if she wishes. Don't worry Callen." Archangel said.

"I want to see her, please." Callen asked.

Jensen shook his head vehemently, but Bates' phone rang as he too was about to object.

"Bates." He said, turning away from the group. "Sir? Yes Sir, he's here now… No Sir, Not at all… Of course Sir, anything he needs. Yes Sir." he looked flustered as he put the phone down.

"We'll talk to her social worker, you'll have to be supervised, but if they agree then yes." Bates replied, the look on his face saying he wasn't comfortable with the situation.

"Fine," Callen replied, "Deeks and Archangel can supervise me in here, you lot can watch on the monitor."

"Go." Archangel ordered.

"Yes Sir." Bates replied grimly as he physically pulled Jensen from the room, glaring at Archangel as he went.

* * *

For a moment they were alone.

"Why did you do this?" Callen asked, "This wasn't your fight."

Michael looked at his son sadly, he wanted to tell him, but now, here wasn't the time.

"Hetty called, told me everything she knew and how it could compromise Airwolf." He said.

Callen nodded, "I didn't do this, you believe me don't you?"

"Of course." Archangel didn't even have to think about it, "I know what you went through growing up, I know that you wouldn't even think about hurting a child."

Callen sighed, "Most people think if you're broken as a child, you'll do it to someone else as an adult."

"You are a good man Callen and an even better agent I know your parents would be proud of you." Archangel said.

Callen looked at him and wondered, had he known his mother? He was about to ask when Maria came back, with the social worker.

"I will not allow her here, without my being present to monitor her welfare." The woman said.

"Of course, my dear." Archangel said, gesturing to a chair for her to sit on.

He extended his hand, "Archangel." He said.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise at the name, but took his hand and shook it. "Helen Way, Social worker."

"We have discovered that Maria here is not telling the truth about her relationship with Mr. Callen."

Maria stepped back, "I…. I…." She shook her head, pulling Carlos closer to her for safety.

Callen stood up, "It's ok Maria, no one is going to hurt you."

"No, but you hurt him. You killed my Antonio. Who is going to protect me and Carlos now? We just needed that Airwolf... We could have sold it to Antonio's buyer, I could have raised my son." She started crying, "I have nothing now, he will be taken from me and raised by strangers."

"No." Callen subconsciously stepped between the child and the social worker. "You will raise him. You will raise him to be a better man than his father."

Maria looked up at him with hope, "How?" She asked. "I have no home, no money, nothing. How can I raise my child?"

"Archangel has offered to give you a scholarship to school, to fund your place in a mother and child home until you are ready to live with Carlos alone." Callen pulled a chair up to sit next to her and lowered his voice, "I know what Antonio was like, I can imagine what he did to you. Don't let what happened to you define your life. You are a mother now, you have a chance to be something great. Go to college, complete your education and raise your son to be a good man. Be more than what happened to you, win by fighting back, by moving on."

Maria looked him in the eye and saw the pain and the truth of his words. "You do understand." She breathed softly and reached for his hand, "I'm scared Callen." She admitted.

Callen really wanted to talk to her alone, but he knew he couldn't. Instead, he lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "I hit rock bottom at the same age you are now, I ended up in Juvenile hall. I nearly lost everything, then a woman turned up, out of the blue. She told me she thought I had potential for greatness and she helped me out. I see in you what she saw in me. You will be better than others because you have seen the darker side of life, you have been broken and now it is time to slowly fix you. You can do this, I will give you my number and you can call for anything. I remember what you did for me in there Maria, you saved my life. You are a good person, please, don't go down the dark road, be better for your son."

Callen hoped that his impassioned plea would get through to the girl, he knew too many people who had been abused as a child and had not come out the other side in one piece. He knew this was a turning point in her life, he had had Hetty there for him when he had hit that point, all she needed was someone to guide her in the right direction.

Maria sat quietly as the social worker looked on, concerned at the two of them whispering and then Maria's silent tears.

She stood up to intervene as Maria raised a hand.

"Stop." She said, her voice wavering, "Mr Archangel, I will take your offer. I want to be better than I was, I want the same chance you had Callen." She turned to him and smiled, "I will raise my son to be a good man, and will tell him about the man who helped change my life."

Callen smiled, "You'll be fine." He replied as Maria stood up to go.

"Thank you Callen," She walked over and hugged him, "I am sorry." She whispered in his ear.

He nodded and watched as she left the room.

* * *

Archangel turned to Callen, as the others left. "You are a lucky man, Agent Callen." he said.

"I wasn't guilty." Callen snapped, He closed the door so Archangel and himself were alone in the room, "I didn't give my DNA, we don't incase we are compromised, how did you get it?" He asked suspiciously.

Archangel watched as Callen eyed him distrustfully.

Archangel wanted to tell him, how he had used his own DNA and had it tested in his labs, he had wanted to use his DNA to prove he was Callen's father and hopefully mend the rift with his son, but he could see that wasn't going to happen.

"I got String to donate some DNA, he wanted to help and we got hold of Antonio's DNA as well. He knew you were innocent and as he doesn't work for a federal agency he could safely donate."

"You shouldn't have gotten him involved!" Callen snarled mad that yet again this man was interfering with his family. He had heard all about what the CIA and Archangel had done to String, keeping him apart from his brother.

"Maybe you should just leave my family alone, and me." Callen paced for a moment trying to calm his temper down. "I know Bates is a good man, he would have gotten to the truth eventually. I mean... Thank you for what you did for Maria, but it doesn't make up for what you did to SinJin or String."

"Well, I hope you'll let me try and make things up to you and your family." Archangel said hopefully.

"You have nothing to make up to me for."

"We could have had you reunited with your brothers earlier." Archangel admitted.

Callen shook his head, "I don't care. I mean, I would have liked to have been reunited with them earlier, but that didn't happen. It's no good spending time on should-a, could-a, would-a's. All that matters is what did happen and how we go on from it. Besides, it's not like you were responsible for what happened in my childhood, and I used that to my advantage to help Maria. The scholarship is a good start, but I will be sending her money for a while, I don't have much. I'm not rich like my brothers, but she deserves a good start in life and someone to watch out for her. She needs a Hetty." He laughed at his own joke.

"A Hetty?" Archangel asked interested.

"A guardian angel, someone who appears at the right time, to help guide you from a bad road to a good road. I had Hetty just as my life was spiralling out of my control, I had no one to guide me growing up, no one to care if I went off the rails and ended up in the gutter. All I needed was one person, one person to say they cared and that I had potential. She did that for me. After all, my mother is dead and my father…. Well, who knows… If he knows about me he obviously doesn't care as he never bothered to try to find me or my sister. If he were here now, I wouldn't even give him the time of day." Callen snapped. He was tired and the events of the day had gotten to him.

Archangel just watched him sadly.

"What if your father was doing something more important?"

"What the hell is more important than raising your family, than being there for them?" Callen sighed, "Look, Archangel, it isn't your problem, is it? Thank you for your help, but I suggest you go back to whatever you were doing before I mucked up your life."

Callen stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Archangel to stand there as Callen went back to his team, his family.

Archangel sighed, he had been right. He'd left it too long, now was not the time to tell him, maybe one day, somewhere the stars would align and he would be able to tell his son the truth.

Right now his son had his aunt and his brothers, and his team. As his name suggested Archangel would keep a watch over his son's life. Be there to pull strings and save him if needed. Anything else would have to wait, he knew that back in the Mission Hetty would have been watching, he turned to the camera as if to say goodbye.

"I'm sorry." He said, maybe to Hetty, maybe to his son. For now... Until he was needed again Archangel took the back door out of the boat shed and left.

* * *

Callen watched as Maria, Carlos and the social worker left. He smiled, knowing that she would be taken care of.

"You ok G?" Sam asked.

Callen nodded, "Yeah, I'm good." He replied.

He gave a sarcastic wave as Bates and Jensen left and walked back into the Boatshed.

"You were great Deeks." Callen said, placing a hand on Deeks' shoulder.

"Really?" Deeks smirked. "You only now notice this."

Callen laughed, "Next time I get a speeding ticket I'll call you."

They cleaned up ready to leave the Boatshed, then Kensi asked. "Where's Archangel?"

Callen shrugged, "I dunno." He walked back to the room where he had last seen him. The room was empty, save for a discarded cigar wrapper on the table. Callen walked back out to the main room.

"Er…" Eric face popped up on the screen, "Archangel left already, he's on the Lady H. with Hetty."

Callen nodded, "Fine... Anyone up for a drink?" He asked.

* * *

Archangel stepped onto the deck of the Lady H. His knee favoring him as the boat rocked in the water. "You couldn't meet on dry land?" He asked as Hetty turned from the wheel.

"You don't like being out of your depth do you Michael?" Hetty asked with a sly smile.

"Hetty?" Archangel growled.

"You left, you could have stayed and told him. He has questions and you are the only one with the answers."

"You won't tell him, about me, I mean?" Michael asked.

"I am not your lackey and I will not do your dirty work." Hetty said angrily, "However if at any time Mr. Callen asks me if you are his father, I will tell him yes."

Michael nodded sadly, "I have my reasons that I didn't tell him. One day I will, but not today. I have an assignment in…. Well, never mind, it's classified. But I promise, I will keep in touch and when you deem he is ready I will tell him."

"He's ready now." Hetty snapped.

"Ok, when he's ready and I am. He isn't ready to know I'm his father yet. He hates me."

"Have you given him reason not to?" Hetty sighed.

"No... No, I haven't." Michael admitted, "But I hope to make it up to him. As he gets to know his brothers, maybe he'll get to know me when I pop in from time to time. But know this Henrietta, I will be keeping an eye on my boy."

"About time Michael." Hetty said and turned to stare out towards the ocean.

Michael stood up, "Keep him safe for me." He pleaded as he stepped off the boat and walked away.

Hetty sighed, watching the waves on the ocean bob up and down, "I always have, until my last breath I always will." She said to herself, knowing Michael couldn't hear her.

She turned her head and watched as his white limo pulled up and he got inside and drove away.

"One of us has to be here for your boy." She sighed sadly as he drove off. Again he had left his son, alone and unknowing. She hoped that one day in the future that would change, until then her Mr. Callen was a few family members stronger and still a few answers short. But he was a survivor and she knew one day he would find the answers to all the questions he had.


End file.
